Look at Me
by WildHope83
Summary: We were barely friends, but that fateful summer brought us closer. Then before school began, he disappeared for a week with my brothers and everything changed. I want to know what I did wrong, but now he won't even look at me. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**PLEASE READ: **Hello, hello. This only took me a little over a week! Well, I usually like to have the first three chapters written out before I post, but I'm anxious to see what you all think of this story idea. This is sort of a continuation of 'Who I Am,' but the star of this story is Paul and Harper's daughter Olivia. If you're a new reader, you don't necessarily have to read 'Who I Am' to get this story, but if you would like the background on Paul and Haper's story, feel free to check it out!

Anyway, I still have to write the next couple of chapters, but I wanted to get all of your thoughts on the idea of writing sort of a future fic dealing with the kids of the wolf pack. I'm not sure how many stories like this there are, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I've got it planned out for the most part and I know where it's going to go, so, here's to hoping it doesn't suck! Like I've said a million times before, you all are the best and I really hope you like this new story. Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

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Chapter 1

"Oomph," Brandon huffed as I tackled him to the ground and smiled wickedly as he glared up at me. "Liv, it's touch football, not tackle," he said as our brothers laughed and Braden started teasing his twin.

"That was like a bunny tackling a Great Dane!" Braden said through his laughter and I saw Brandon's cheeks darken in slight embarrassment as his dark eyes narrowed.

"You're just upset that your little sister got the best of you," I said with a smile and he rolled his eyes before he shoved me off of him. I fell onto the sand of the beach and laughed as he grumbled to himself, got up, and started stalking over to Braden; who he punched in the arm when he was close enough. Suddenly, Lucas was standing over me and held out his hand to me with a grin on his face. I laughed and took hold of his hand and allowed him to pull me from the ground.

"You wounded his pride, Liv," Lucas said, still grinning, and I smiled.

"Serves him right," I said before I tightened my ponytail. "Just because I'm smaller than all of you doesn't mean I can't take you down." After breakfast that morning, we all had gone down to First Beach to play football on the sand. I usually just sat on the beach and cheered them on, but Brandon had been teasing me all morning; so, I joined up with Lucas and Alex to take him and Braden down.

"Lesson learned," Lucas said before he threw his arm over my shoulders. Out of my four brothers, I was closest to Lucas. He was only two years older than my sixteen and Brandon and Braden were about to turn twenty-one next month. Our younger brother, Alex, was twelve and was currently teasing Brandon right along with Braden about getting tackled. Lucas and I walked over to our brothers and Brandon tossed the football at me. I caught it easily and smiled at my brother's scowling face.

"Come on, Brandon," I said as I walked away from Lucas and over to my brother. "Don't be mad. I was just messing with you." I pouted slightly and batted my eyelashes, a trick I learned long ago to soften Dad when I wanted something or got in trouble and it worked wonders on my brothers too. It didn't work on Mom though. She would just smile and shake her head before she would roll her eyes. I tapped the football on Brandon's stomach and batted my eyelashes at him a little more. He sighed and took the football from my hands before he wrapped his left arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him.

"You know I can't stay mad at you, Liv," Brandon said before he tossed the football to a still chuckling Braden. "Let's head home. I'm starving," he said before he started walking, dragging me along with him, to his truck. Lucas, Alex and I sat in the backseat of the extended cab while Brandon settled behind the driver's seat and Braden the passenger seat. It wasn't long before we were heading down the road and home, with Brandon turning up the radio to some heavy metal rock song. All four boys started screaming/singing along with the lead singer and I rolled my eyes as I shook my head from my seat between Alex and Lucas. Lucas nudged my arm and I smiled as I looked at him. I laughed as he started banging his head slightly and I rested my head on his shoulder. I was going to miss him come the end of August.

Brandon and Braden had each forgone going to a four year university and went to vocational school after college. They worked as contractors with Dad, Sam, Jared, and Uncle Jason. They still lived at home since they weren't quite ready to leave behind Mom's cooking and the fact that she still did their laundry and tidied up after them. Dad made sure they paid for their keep though, and neither young man minded. Lucas, however, was not like our older brothers.

He wouldn't be satisfied following in our father's footsteps and living life on the reservation wasn't for him. We all knew that, and none of us were surprised when he was accepted to all four colleges he had applied to. He was able to go to his first choice, and there was going to be no financial strain on our family. Lucas was going off to Stanford in the fall, on a full academic scholarship, and our parents were very proud. We all were proud of him.

"Okay!" I shouted as I lived my head and reached forward, turning down the radio.

"Hey!" Brandon and Braden chorused, but they had smiles on their faces.

"I'd like to maintain my hearing, thank you," I said and they chuckled before leaving the radio at the quieter level I had turned it down to. Thankfully, we reached the house a few minutes after that and we all piled out of the truck. However, I barely took two steps before Braden scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder. "Braden!" I cried as I hit at his back with an open palm, but really only hurt myself as he laughed and trudged towards the house with me lying over his shoulder. I gave up on fighting him and let him carrying me inside.

"Braden, what are you doing to your sister?" I heard Mom's voice ask and I could tell by her slightly shaking voice that she was trying to hold back a laugh. Braden laughed and I rolled her eyes.

"Just thought I'd give Little Livy a lift into the house," Braden said before he put me down onto the floor and I smacked his chest. He grinned before I turned around and tugged down my t-shirt to see Mom laughing quietly with her hand covering her mouth as she stood in the doorway that led to the kitchen.

"I don't know why I put up with them," I said as I rolled my eyes.

"You know you love us, Liv," Braden said as he tugged on my ponytail and walked towards the kitchen. He leaned down slightly and kissed Mom's cheek before he went into the kitchen where I could hear Brandon and Alex debating on what to eat. I sighed as Mom lowered her hand and walked over to me.

"Alex told me you tackled Brandon during a game of touch football," Mom said and I smiled at her, my hazel eyes meeting her blue.

"They were picking on me all morning," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest. "Brandon was being cocky as he ran and I took him down." Mom smiled at me before she winked.

"That's my girl," she said and I smiled at her as I uncrossed my arms.

"Where's Dad?" I asked.

"Council meeting," she said as she reached out and pushed my bangs out of my eyes. "He'll be home before dinner." I nodded my head and pulled my shoulder blade length hair from the ponytail I had pulled it in that morning.

"I'm going to take a shower," I said and she smiled.

"Get in there why you can. Brandon's going out with Lily tonight," she said with her eyebrows raised and I laughed. Lily was Anna and Trevor Mallory's oldest daughter and she was just as sweet as her Mom. Anna and Trevor were long time friends of our mom and Brandon had taken a liking to her at the last barbeque of the summer we had last year.

"What time?" I asked.

"Six," she said and I glanced at the clock in the living room. It was just past two in the afternoon, but Brandon would be commandeering the bathroom any minute. That boy took longer to get ready than I did and it was crazy.

"I better get in there now," I said before I raced up the stairs and into the one lone bathroom in our house. It was always a battle for the bathroom, which was why I woke up at the butt crack of dawn everyday to get in there before the guys used all the hot water. I stopped long enough in my room to grab a pair of black sweats, clean under clothes, and a baggy t-shirt before I slipped into the bathroom.

I turned on the water and while waiting for it to warm up, I looked at my reflection and sighed quietly as I ran my hand through my loosely curled reddish brown hair that I inherited from Mom. I took after her in more ways than just hair. I had my own variation of her nose and lips, and I could see a lot of Mom in my face and I considered myself a plainer version of Mom. Despite the scar on the side of her face, Mom was beautiful. She was just as great inside as she was outside and it was easy to see why Dad loved her so much.

Unlike my best friend, Grace, I didn't have the perfect body. I wasn't super skinny but I wasn't the least bit fat, I just needed to tone up a bit. However, I was too lazy to work out hardcore like Brandon, Braden, and even Lucas did. I jogged every morning with them and ran on the treadmill we had in the basement during the winter time. I may have thought I needed a few improvements, but all in all I liked the way I looked; even if I was a bit plain.

I made a face at my reflection before I took out my contacts and put them in their container on the counter. I undressed, threw my clothes in the hamper, and climbed into the shower. I sighed as the hot water undid the knots on my upper back and then I set to washing. Fifteen minutes later, I was finishing up when I heard a hard knocking on the door.

"Liv! Hurry up! I need to get ready!" Brandon called and I rolled my eyes as I turned off the water.

"I'll be out in just a few minutes," I said. "I need to get dressed."

"Hurry up!" he said again and I rolled my eyes again as I climbed out of the tub and dried off. Lotion and everything would have to wait until I got into my room. I made sure I was dry and wrapped my hair up into the towel before I quickly dressed. I opened the bathroom door and Brandon was standing just outside of it.

"Took you long enough," he said and I laughed as I walked out of the bathroom.

"It's all yours, princess," I teased before I scooted over into my room, closing the door behind me.

I unwrapped my hair and towel dried it as best I could before I draped the towel over the back of my desk chair. I grabbed my black framed glasses from where they sat on my computer desk and slid them on my face before I brushed out my hair and threw the wet locks into a clip on the back of my head. I flopped down onto my double bed and grabbed the book from my nightstand as I leaned back against the mountain of pillows that rested on my bed and opened the pages of my latest read.

Grace had left for camp the day before and she was going to be gone until the end of July, leaving me to fend for myself for the next seven weeks; which was why I was spending a perfectly good Saturday at home with my family. However, if Grace would have been home, we probably would have done the same thing. There was no bonfire that night or no party going on that I knew of, so, we would have just hung out. In a little while I'd help Mom with dinner and probably veg out in front of the TV with Mom, Dad, Alex, and Lucas since Braden would head out to hang out with his friends while Brandon went on his date. Lucas was a homebody, so, unless one his friends called him up he was more than likely going to stay home with us.

Okay, so, I was rather boring, but I was sixteen and lived in a very small town. I would have to drive an hour just to go to a movie, and I'd rather stay home than drive to Port Angeles by myself to see a movie. Plus, hell would freeze over before Dad would let me go to Port Angeles alone. I couldn't even go to Forks by myself. He always drove me or he made one of the guys drive me; but if he or the guys were busy and only Alex and Mom were around, I couldn't even go. Mom tried to talk sense into him that I would be fine or that she could drive me, but he always held his ground. I loved my dad to death, but he was way, _way_, too overprotective. It's not like there was anything out there that was going to hurt me.

* * *

A few hours later, I was in the kitchen with Mom helping her fix dinner for our seriously large family. Brandon was already gone to get to Lily; Braden was up in the room he shared with Brandon, while Lucas had taken Alex with him to the store to pick up some milk after Mom had asked him to run to the store seeing as we wouldn't have enough milk for everyone at dinner.

"Harper?" Dad's voice called through the house and Mom didn't even look away from the oven door she had just opened to check on the pork chops she had roasting away.

"Kitchen!" she called back. I looked up when I heard Dad's boots reach the tiled floor of the kitchen and I smiled at him from where I stood in front of the cutting board, fixing the salad that we always ate with dinner.

"Hey Livy," Dad said with a smile.

"Hi Dad," I said and he walked over to me and kissed my head before he moved over to Mom and took her into his arms before he kissed her softly upon her lips. I smiled slightly as I watched them for a second.

Looking at them when they were together, you wouldn't guess that they'd been married for almost twenty-four years. The way they looked at each other, it was like they were in the early stages of a relationship where it was all hearts and rainbows. Sure, they weren't perfect and they argued sometimes but they always worked it out and I just knew that they were one of the lucky ones and that what they had was forever. Now, if only I could be that lucky. I sighed softly before I returned my eyes to the cutting board; however, movement at the doorway to the kitchen caught my eye and I looked up.

I gasped quietly when I saw the youngest member of the Uley family smiling at me as he took a step into our eat in kitchen. Andrew Uley was Sam and Emily's youngest son. Like me, he was going to be a junior in high school in September and despite growing up together and practically being in all the same classes, we weren't exactly friends. Sure, we hung out with the same people and went to all the same events but he was more outgoing and a bit more popular than I was.

Don't get me wrong, we got along just fine and were friendly to each other. We were more acquaintances than friends really, and I had no idea what he was doing there, especially since I didn't see the rest of his family with him. The only time he had ever come to our house was when it was our family's turn to host a barbeque, and it had been almost a year since he had been over.

He looked the same as he had on Wednesday when I saw him on the last day of school before summer break. He was dressed in his usual t-shirt and jeans ensemble and his black hair was still shaggy and falling slightly in his dark eyes in the messy 'I don't give a crap' style he had going. Like his older brother, DJ, Andrew was tall; but not quite as tall as his dad or mine; and he was well put together. It was easy to see why half of the female population at our high school was in love with him, but he didn't really date. He'd gone out a few times with a couple of girls in our year, but he'd never been in a serious relationship; at least, as far as I knew anyway.

"Hi Drew," I said, calling him by the nickname I knew he preferred.

"Hey Liv," he said back and I returned my eyes to my task. I mentally wanted to kill my father for not calling to tell Mom that Andrew would be coming with him. Like all the other girls, I had a small crush on Andrew and there I was standing barefoot in the kitchen wearing sweats, no makeup, with my curly hair frizzy from air drying and held back in my clip, and my glasses perched on my face. Of course he had to see me looking a mess; granted I wasn't exactly girly when I wasn't in my house clothes, but at least I was presentable then. My sloppy look was just another thing to add to the list of why Andrew would never date a girl like me.

"Sam and Emily left for Seattle earlier today to pick Sadie up from the airport tonight, and I told Emily I would have Drew over to dinner with us tonight so he could have a home cooked meal," Dad said as he walked over to where I stood and put his hand on my shoulder before he stole a cherry tomato from the bowl I had them in.

"Hey, hands off," I said as I put down the knife in my right hand and smacked at his hand as he reached for another tomato. Dad laughed and held up both his hands before he kissed my head again and walked around the island. I smiled at him as he walked into the mudroom on the other side of the kitchen and resumed my cutting.

"I hope it's not too much trouble, Harper," Andrew said, his voice sounding closer than it should have, and I looked up to see him standing just a few feet away from me.

"It's no trouble at all, Drew," Mom said as she settled up next to me at the island. "I always cook plenty, and all we need to do is set an extra plate." She smiled at Andrew and he smiled in return before he glanced at me. "Olivia, why don't you go and keep Andrew company," she said as she took the knife from my hand and I looked at her. "Your father can help me finish dinner."

"You sure?" I asked and she nodded. I swallowed hard before I wiped my hands on my sweats and walked around the island. The two of us walked out into the foyer and I scratched the back of my neck nervously. "So, um, what do you want to, um, do?" I asked and Andrew smiled before he pulled his mp3 player out of his jeans pocket.

"You got a dock?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, up in my room," I said as I gestured towards the stairs.

"Can we go up there? I want to play you a few songs and I want you to tell me what you think of them," he said.

"What songs?" I asked with a slight frown.

"Originals," he said with a pause, "mine."

"Really?" I asked as I raised my eyebrows and he nodded. "Why do you want my opinion?"

"Because I know you'll be honest with me. Plus, you've got better taste in music than any of my other friends," he said with a grin. I laughed quietly as I shook my head and blushed lightly.

"I guess you're right there," I said. "The classics are the way to go. You can't go wrong with Morrison, Eagles, Skynard, and the like right?"

"Nope," he said as he smiled and tapped his mp3 player on the palm of his hand.

"All right," I said as I took a step towards the stairs. "Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm glad you are interested in this story and I can only hope I don't disappoint. Thank you again, and I hope you all like this chapter. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

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**Chapter 2**

"You seriously have to have the cleanest room in La Push," Andrew said as he sat down on my desk chair and I took his mp3 player from him.

"What?" I asked with a laugh and he smiled as he looked up at me.

"Sadie's been gone for ten months and her room's messier than this since Mom kept her room how she left it. Seriously, Liv, it's not even dusty in here," he said as he teasingly ran his finger along my desk in front of my laptop and I rolled my eyes, still smiling, before I went over to the dock that rested on my bookcase.

"Well, I can't reach the top shelf of this thing," I said as I tapped the built in Dad had put in when I was little.

The shelves that once held my children's books and stuffed animals now held my mp3 dock and various books I had collected over the last four years ranging from literary classics to the current young adult novels. It also now housed framed photos of my friends and my family over the last couple of years; my favorite being one of my brothers and me on a trip to Disneyland we made when I was eight. We were standing with Mickey and Minnie and despite Brandon and Braden being thirteen they were smiling just as stupidly as Alex and I were.

"If you're looking for dust, I'm sure you'll find some up there," I added and Andrew laughed as shook his hair from his eyes and stood from my chair.

"I'll take your word for it," he said and I smiled before I turned my eyes to the dock. I turned it on and slipped his mp3 from its carrying case. I heard him come up behind me as I clicked it into place and I looked over my left shoulder and up at his face. He smiled at me before he reached around me and hit the necessary buttons. I stepped away then and sat down on the side of my bed, resting against the smooth dark wood of my footboard as I watched him. "Okay, honest opinion, Liv," he said as he looked over his right shoulder at me. "Promise?" he asked and I nodded.

"Promise," I said and he looked back at the dock. He hit play and stepped away from the dock before he went back my desk chair and slowly sat down, taking hold of the towel I had draped over the back of the chair and ringing it in his hands as the notes of a guitar, drum, bass, and piano filled the room.

I listened to the music, my eyes focused on the weathered tan carpet on the floor of my room and smiled slightly. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. It was a ballad with and the piano was strong; and that made sense seeing as Andrew's best instrument was piano, well, his keyboard anyway. His voice soon joined in the music and I couldn't stop my smile from growing as his low tenor voice sang his words. That song was about loss and talking how much he was going to miss someone before he saw them again; and I assumed the song was about his grandfather. Emily's dad had passed away in early January and Andrew and DJ had been close to the older man. They often went on fishing trips with him and Andrew had taken his death pretty hard. The next song was more of what I had been expecting.

It had a classic rock feel with a firm drum beat and quick guitar riffs. It was energetic and more like the Andrew I knew. The lyrics of that song made my smile return and I laughed quietly at the chorus. That song was about letting loose and having fun, and he had even threw in a few references to the old legends that were often told at bonfires by the council elders. I turned my eyes from the floor to Andrew who I was surprised to find watching me. I smiled at him and slowly, he smiled back. The song ended and Andrew stood. He stopped the next song that started to play and turned around to look at me.

"What did you think?" he asked.

"I liked them both," I said as I looked up at him.

"Really? You're not just saying that to make me feel good about myself?" he asked with a small grin and I shook my head negatively.

"They were both really good, Drew," I told him honestly. My eyes widened as an idea suddenly popped into my head. "You should sign up for the talent show." He furrowed his brow and laughed.

"What?" he asked and I smiled again.

"At school," I said, gesturing with my hands, which was a habit I had inherited from Mom since she talked with her hands a lot too. "You should sign up for the winter talent show. You'd win, hands down I'm sure." Maybe I was being a bit forward in making the suggestion, but I really thought his songs were good and I meant what I said. He would easily win if he performed at the show.

"I don't think so, Liv," Andrew said as he shook his head, his cheeks tinting slightly at my suggestion.

"I'm serious, Drew," I said as I stood and walked over to him. I put my hand on his right forearm and smiled up at him. He glanced at my hand and when his eyes moved to mine, I lowered it. "Someone needs to show our classmates what good music is." Andrew laughed before he turned so he was facing me as I continued to look up at him. "Think about," I said. "If you don't want to play one of those songs, you've got all summer to come up with something new. Or you could do a cover. The show is not until the first part of December, so, you could do whatever you want."

"I'll think about it," he said with a smile and my smile grew as I nodded my head slightly.

"Good," I said before I laughed and sat back down on my bed, drawing my legs up and sitting cross legged. "So, what else have you got on your mp3?" I asked. "Anything I would like?"

"Yeah," he said, laughing, before he turned around and hit a few buttons before music filled the room once more. He sat back down on my desk chair. We started talking about our favorite bands, however, when I mentioned a band from the 1980s I had a soft spot for thanks to my Uncle Jason. "Wait," Andrew said as he held out his hands and laughed before he leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs. "Twisted Sister? You can't be serious," he said and I felt my cheeks tint as I smiled at him and rested my side against my footboard as I looked at him.

"I don't like all their stuff, just some of it," I said with a shrug of my right shoulder.

"Who tainted your mind with that mess?" he asked and I laughed at the expression on his face as he sat back in my chair.

"Uncle Jason," I said and Andrew made a disgusted noise. "Come on, they're not _that _bad."

"A 1980s hair band, Liv? Really?" he asked and I laughed as I shrugged my shoulder again. "And here I thought you had good taste in music." I scoffed before I turned and grabbed one of my smaller throw pillows on my bed before I tossed it at him. He laughed and caught it with ease before he rested the pillow on his lap and smiled at me.

I smiled in return before I felt my cheeks heating once more and I looked away from him and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind my ears. "So, is Grace at camp?" he asked me and I looked back at him.

"Yeah, until the end of July," I said and he nodded. "Are you happy Sadie's home?"

"Honestly, it was kind of nice to have the house to myself; but I did miss her," Andrew said with a smile and I laughed. "I don't know how you do it."

"Do what?" I asked curiously.

"Survive four siblings," he said with fake shiver of his body and shake of his head. "Two is bad enough." I laughed again as I sat up a straight and smiled at him.

"It's easy when it's all you know," I said and he chuckled. "Plus, they're not always annoying. The good times outnumber the bad." Andrew smiled at me before he opened his mouth to say something else, but Mom's voice cut him off.

"Drew! Olivia! Dinner's ready!" she called.

"We better get downstairs," I said as I stood quickly, paused his mp3, and reached for his hand. He raised his eyebrows as he put aside my throw pillow and stood before he allowed me to drag him towards the door.

"What's the rush?" he asked with a soft laugh and I smiled as we paused at my bedroom door.

"You've seen my brothers eat, haven't you?" I asked and he looked like he thought a minute before he laughed and gently pushed on my waist with his free right hand.

"Yeah, we better get downstairs," he said with a smirk and I laughed before the two of us quickly made our way downstairs. Lucas was at the door leading into the kitchen and I saw his eyes go to our still joined hands before he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I blushed lightly and slowly let go f Andrew's hand before the two of us went into the kitchen with a chuckling Lucas following behind.

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"Hey," Lucas said as he credits for the moving we had been watching started to roll. It was a little past midnight and Brandon had yet to come home from his date and Braden was still out, which wasn't anything new. Mom, Dad, and Alex had gone to bed a while ago, but Lucas and I had stayed up to watch a movie together.

"Hmm?" I asked as I turned my head to look at him and where he sat in Dad's well worn arm chair. He turned off the TV and the smirk he gave me was all I needed to see to know what he was going to say. "Don't even go there, Lucas," I said as I stood from the sofa and walked over to the entertainment center. I took out the DVD, put it in its case, and turned off the player before I righted myself and looked at Lucas who was full on smiling now. "What?" I asked, my hands finding my hips and Lucas laughed as he stood from his chair.

"You and Drew seemed cozy this afternoon and at dinner," he said as he walked over to me. I sighed and lowered my hands from my hips.

"We were talking about music," I said, "and we're friends. We were not being 'cozy.'"

"You _giggled_ all throughout dinner, Liv," Lucas said and I felt my cheeks heat in a deep blush.

"I did not!" I nearly shouted and Lucas shushed me as he laughed and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Relax, Liv, I'm just teasing," Lucas said and huffed before he took his hands off my shoulders. Lucas knew of my crush on Andrew thanks to Grace's big mouth. My best friend since elementary school failed to notice Lucas standing at my bedroom door as she lectured me that I needed to come clean with Andrew and tell him that I like him at our last barbeque. Despite Lucas being my favorite brother, I had to do his share of the chores for two weeks in order for him to keep what he heard on the down low. Now, he just took pleasure in teasing me about it whenever he had a chance.

"It's not funny, Lucas," I said dryly and he smiled at me.

"Sorry," he said and I sighed as I ran my hand over the top of my head. "You know, you should just tell him you like him."

"Yeah, well, you should just mind you own business," I said my hands finding my hips again and he laughed as he shook his head.

"God, you got the whole Mom with her hands on her hips thing down. It's kind of freaky actually," Lucas said and I blushed again as I quickly lowered my hands. Lucas laughed quietly before he gently shoved my shoulder as I glared at him. "Come on, let's get to bed." I nodded and after turning off the light the two of us went to our respected bedrooms.

I stopped in the bathroom where I brushed my teeth and washed my face before I trotted over to my bedroom and closed my door after turning on the light. After changing into my pajamas that consisted of a pair of shorts, a sports bra, and a black tank top; and taking the clip out of my hair before I tied it back with a ponytail holder, I put my glasses down on my nightstand when a folded piece of paper with my name on it on my nightstand caught my eye. I put my glasses back on and grabbed the piece of paper. I opened it and smiled when I realized it was from Andrew and his cell phone number was on the top of the note.

"_Liv, call me tomorrow so we can meet up. I need to help cure you of this love you have for Twisted Sister. It may take weeks, but I'm determined. ~ Drew." _I laughed and shook my head as I put the note back down on the nightstand and took off my glasses. I turned off the light and crawled into bed, laughing quietly. However, as I laid there in the dark and thought over his note; it really wasn't that big of a deal, but I couldn't stop smiling as I thought about hanging out with Andrew again tomorrow. My summer was starting out better than I ever imagined.

* * *

After breakfast with my family and helping Mom clean up the kitchen, I called Andrew. Given the rain that had moved in that morning, I agreed to go over to his house to hang out. That was why after showering and dressing in a pair of loose dark jeans, fitted dark red t-shirt, black zip up hoodie, and black hiking boots; I made my way downstairs to ask Dad about borrowing his truck. I was probably going to have to bring out the pout, but I was determined not to use it.

Like every Sunday, Mom and Dad were settled on the sofa in the living room. Dad was watching some sports program while Mom laid on the sofa, her head on his lap while she read her latest book. I walked over to the sofa and sat down on the arm of the sofa and Dad looked up at me. I smiled brightly at him and Dad laughed.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi," he said slowly.

"Could I borrow the truck to drive over to the Uley's?" I asked and Dad raised his eyebrows.

"Why?" he asked as Mom lowered her book and looked at me from where she laid on Dad's lap.

"Well, I want to go and say 'hi' to Sadie, and Drew and I are going to hang out," I said, adding the second half of my sentence rather quickly. Dad's eyebrows rose and Mom smiled.

"Oh?" she asked as she sat up and I blushed at the smile that was on Mom's lips. Dad glanced at Mom and frowned before he returned his eyes to me.

"Why are you hanging out with Drew today?" Dad asked; his voice tight.

"Relax, Dad," I said with a laugh as I stood and tucked my hair, which I had left down after drying it, behind my ears as I looked at him. "Drew and I are _just_ friends."

"What are you guys going to do?" he asked.

"Probably the same thing we did yesterday," I said with a shrug. "Listen to music and talk. We might go down to First Beach if the weather clears up, but we're more than likely just going to hang out at his place."

"Paul," Mom said and Dad turned his frowning face to her. "Let her borrow the truck." Dad opened his mouth, but Mom gave him a look that silenced whatever it was he had been about to say.

"Fine," he said before he looked at me. "You know where the spare key is."

"Thanks Dad," I said happily before I kissed his cheek. He sighed heavily and nodded his head. I smiled at Mom and she winked at me, making me blush before I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Be home by six for dinner," she said.

"I will," I said. I went into the kitchen and grabbed the spare key from its designated spot in the miscellaneous drawer.

"Where you off to?" Brandon's voice asked and his sudden appearance made me jump and drop the key back into the drawer. I looked up at him as he strode in from the patio door, wet from the rain outside and dressed only in a pair of basketball shorts and tennis shoes.

"You went for a run in that mess?" I asked gesturing outside and the steady rain that was falling. Brandon looked behind him as he closed the glass door and shrugged.

"It's not too bad," he said and I laughed as I shook my head and grabbed the key again before I closed the drawer.

"Braden didn't go with you?" I asked, still trying to avoid his question because Brandon and Braden were just as protective as Dad.

"Nah," he said with a shake of his head before he ran his hand through his wet hair. "So, where are you going?" he asked as he walked over to the kitchen island where I stood.

"The Uley's," I said evenly before I turned around to leave, but Brandon caught my arm.

"Why?" he asked with a frown.

"To hang out with Drew," I said and Brandon kept his hold on my arm.

"Why?" he asked again and I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously, Brandon, we're friends," I said. "I'm allowed to hang out with my friends aren't I?"

"You've never hung out with him before," he said.

"Because he never asked me to before," I said and his eyebrows rose.

"Are you going on a date?" he asked and I choked on the spit I had been swallowing.

"W-what? No!" I said. "We're just going to listen to music."

"Do I need to talk to him?" Brandon asked and I rolled my eyes again before I pulled my arm from his grasp and playfully pushed at his chest.

"No," I said. "It's not a date, so, relax."

"Fine, but if he tries anything -," Brandon started but I interrupted.

"Is Drew the type of guy to try anything like that, Brandon?" I asked pointedly and Brandon sighed, his strong and broad shoulders slumping slightly in defeat. "I'll be home for dinner and if you want you can interrogate me then." Brandon smiled then and I smiled in return.

"Deal," he said and I laughed.

"Bye," I said and he nodded his head before he moved on to the pantry. I went out into the foyer, said goodbye to my parents, and left the house with a skip in my step as I pulled up my hood and raced for Dad's truck, smiling as I went. Despite the rain, it was a great day and nothing was going to get me down.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! I know this chapter is long overdue and I'm sorry to make you wait. Thank you all so much for yoru adds and reviews. I hope you all like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

I walked up the Uley's porch steps and knocked on the door. I had only a second to wait when the door was swung open to reveal Sadie Uley. "Hey Liv!" she said happily before she reached out and pulled me into the foyer of the house. I laughed as I stumbled inside only to quickly be embraced by Andrew's nineteen year old sister.

"Hi Sadie," I said, still laughing as I hugged her back. She laughed as we pulled apart and I smiled at her. "How was your first year at Nebraska?" I asked, and if possible, her smile got even bigger.

"Amazing," she said and she made to continue, but she didn't get the chance.

"Sadie, Liv's not here to listen to you talk for hours about how awesome college is," Andrew said dryly as he came down the stairs and walked over to where we stood before he gave his sister an annoyed look. Sadie rolled her eyes at Andrew before she smiled.

"We'll talk before you go home," Sadie said. "I have pictures."

"Sounds good," I said with a laugh and Sadie smirked at Andrew before she spun around on the balls of her feet and went down the hall in to what I knew to be her bedroom. I laughed again as I looked up at Andrew and he rolled his eyes, much like Sadie had done just seconds ago.

"You really shouldn't encourage her," he said with a small smile as he turned his dark eyes to mine. "Come on," he said before he gestured towards the stairs. I followed him up the stairs and my curiosity got the better of me.

"Where are Sam and Emily?" I asked and he looked over his shoulder at me when he reached the top of the stairs before I followed him to his room.

"Visiting Grandma Abigail," he said and I nodded my head as I subtly glanced around his room.

The covers on his bed were thrown up and attempted to give the appearance of neatly made, and his room was what I would call organized chaos. It wasn't terribly messy, but it wasn't clean. It was obvious he made an attempt at cleaning it up, but it was a rushed attempt. His dark blue walls were littered with various band posters, and his keyboard and guitars were settled in a corner of the room by his desk. He also had a bookshelf in his room that held only a few books. Mostly it held notebooks and various folders with what I assumed was sheet music judging from the corner of a sheet of paper I saw sticking out of one.

"So, I've got a few new bands that I found that I think will cure you of your Twisted Sister love," he said and I laughed.

"I don't _love _Twisted Sister," I said as I looked at the back of his head. "I like maybe two of their songs. You really can't fault me for that." My hoodie was wet from the rain outside, so, I unzipped it and took it off before I held the damp black cotton in my hands while Andrew fiddled with his mp3 on its dock.

"Yes, I can," Andrew said with a laugh before he turned around and looked at me. I smiled at him and he grinned before he walked over and took my hoodie from my hands. He draped it over the back of his desk chair.

He turned slightly and smiled before he hit play on his mp3 and the heavy and quick sounds of rock music filled the room. He banged his head a bit and I laughed before I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Andrew laughed at me before he grabbed my hands and started jumping around to the beat of the music. I laughed a little louder before I started bouncing around with him and turning and it wasn't long before we were dancing together. It was an unexpected start to the afternoon, but it wasn't unwelcome.

* * *

A few hours later, Andrew and I were in the kitchen snacking on the blueberry muffins and banana muffins Emily had made. "Your mom can give mine a run for her money in the baking department," I said as I popped another piece of the extra large blueberry muffin in my mouth. Andrew smiled at me and I smiled at him in return before I returned my eyes to my half eaten muffin.

"I think mine has yours beat," he said and I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "She taught yours after all." I laughed and threw a piece of my muffin at him, but he dodged it easily before he threw a piece of his banana muffin at me, hitting me right on the nose.

"You did not just do that," I said. Andrew smirked and, not really knowing what came over me, I picked up what was left of my muffin and tossed it at him, hitting him the chest. Andrew gasped and looked down at his now crumb covered chest and lap since that was where the muffin landed after it hit his chest. He looked at me and I cocked an eyebrow as I smirked at him in return. However, I was not expecting what he did next.

"That's it," he said before he got up out of his chair. I quickly scampered out of my chair and ran away from him and out of the kitchen. I suddenly realized that he was just as fast as my brothers and he easily caught me as I ran into their living room. As his arms wrapped around my waist, my feet caught on Emily's area rug and I started to fall, taking Andrew with me. I closed my eyes tightly in anticipation of hitting the floor, but I didn't.

I wasn't sure how he did it, but Andrew turned as we fell and he hit the floor first, landing on his back with me landing heavily on top of him. He let out a rush of air as I fell against him and my entire body stiffened before I rolled off of him, landing on my left side. I was still half laying on him since he kept his hold on me with his right arm and I lifted my head to look up at him with wide eyes. My hair was in my face and I couldn't really see him, but he didn't look like he was in pain. However, I wasn't exactly light and my whole weight fell on him.

"Drew, are you okay?" I asked, slightly breathless. He lifted his head slightly and smiled at me before he brought his left hand to my face and pushed away my hair so I could see him clearly.

"Fine," he said through his smile and I realized then just how close our faces were and the position we found ourselves in on the floor. His hand remained on the side of my head and my heart was racing as blood flooded my face and I blushed when I felt the heat of his hand seeping through my jean clad hip. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," I whispered, not trusting my voice to go much louder than that. He shifted and our faces were even closer, before he started to lean in to me. His nose bumped mine softly, and he closed his eyes before he turned his head and pressed his lips to mine.

My right hand, which was resting on his chest, gripped his t-shirt as I closed my eyes and kissed him back. His right arm pulled me closer to him and his left hand remained laced in my hair as we kissed. That was my first kiss and I suddenly realized what Grace was talking about. Unfortunately, the kiss didn't last very long because a throat clearing broke the two of us apart. Andrew's arms loosened and I turned away from him to sit on the floor only to wish for the floor to swallow me when I saw Sam and Emily standing in the foyer.

"Mom! Dad!" Andrew said quickly as he got to his feet and pulled me up from the floor as well. I adjusted myself nervously and found that I couldn't look at the couple I had known my entire life. "We were . . . we were . . .," Andrew said, struggling for words and I looked up at him just as he looked at me. His face was flushed and I knew mine probably matched his.

"You were lying in the middle of the living room, kissing," Sam said and both Andrew and I looked at him. Sam was a lot like Dad. Despite their ages they were in really good shape and with his arms crossed over his chest, Sam was very, _very_, intimidating. He cocked an eyebrow as he looked at Andrew who I heard sigh heavily beside me.

"It just happened, Dad," Andrew said. "It didn't mean anything." The second those words were out of his mouth, I felt like I had been kicked in the gut and I turned my eyes back to Andrew but he was still looking at Sam, his body stiff. I had no idea words could hurt so much, and when I felt tears line my eyes I knew I had to get out of there.

"I should go," I said softly as I looked away from Andrew and at Emily, who was scowling at Sam but looked at me when I spoke.

"Liv," Andrew whispered beside me, but I couldn't look at him.

"My parents want me home by six for supper, but I should get home to help Mom," I said after I turned my head slightly but didn't look up at him. I walked away from him them, gave a shy smile to Sam and Emily before I bid them good bye and left the house. The heavy rain had stopped, but it was still misting outside as I made my way to Dad's truck and climbed in after pulling the keys from my jean pockets. Halfway home the tears started to fall. The day wasn't as great as I thought it was going to be, and I felt like such an idiot.

* * *

I had managed to avoid too many probing questions from my family during dinner, but Brandon cornered me when I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. "So, what happened at the Uley's today?" Brandon asked as he leaned on the open bathroom door frame with his arms crossed over his broad chest. I rolled my eyes as I pulled my toothbrush from my mouth and spit the toothpaste from my mouth before I picked up my Dixie cup of water and rinsed.

"Nothing," I said after I spit out the water and rinsed off my toothbrush and put it back in its holder. "We listened to music, Drew showed me a few bands that he thought I'd like, we talked for a while, and then I came home to help Mom with supper," I said and Brandon raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?" Brandon asked and I nodded as I turned on the tap and wetted my face before I turned it off again and pumped my face wash into my hands.

"Yep," I said. "I told you, Drew and I are just friends." I rubbed my hands together, making the wash foamy before I started washing my face. I hoped my voice didn't sound as bitter as I felt about what Andrew had said and hurt feelings I was still nursing. Seemingly satisfied, Brandon nodded before he took a step into the bathroom and kissed the top of my head, surprising me a little.

"I know I'm a pain in the ass big brother, but I love you, Liv," he said as he looked at my face in the reflection of the mirror and I looked at his as I paused in my washing with my hands resting on my cheeks. "I'm just watching out for you."

"I know," I said weakly before I looked at my own reflection and started rubbing my cheeks again, "and I love you too." He rubbed his hands on my upper back and I looked at his reflection to see him frowning.

"Are you sure nothing happened?" he asked me as he lowered my hand. "You don't seem like yourself."

"I'm just tired," I said and I really didn't think he believed me, but for once he let it be.

"Get some sleep, kid," he said before he playing swatted at my ponytail and I laughed.

"Night," I said.

"Night," he said as he walked out of the bathroom and left me on my own. I rinsed off my face and sighed as I looked at my reflection. After a few seconds of staring, I shook my head and took out my contacts. I put them in their container, turned off the light, and left the bathroom. I had already said good night to everyone else, so, I made my way to my room and climbed into bed after closing my bedroom door and turning off the light. I had no more wrapped my arms around my pillow and closed my eyes when I heard my cell phone vibrating on my nightstand.

I sighed, sat up, grabbed my glasses and put them on with my left hand as I picked up my phone with my right. 'Drew' was flashing on the screen, along with his number, and I hesitated in answering it. However, before I knew what I was doing my thumb had hit the 'accept' button. I rolled my eyes at myself before I brought the phone to my ear and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey Liv," Andrew said.

"Hey," I said back.

"Look about this afternoon-," he started but I interrupted.

"It's fine, Drew," I said as I lowered my left hand to my lap and picked at my comforter. "I get it."

"No," he said, his tone serious, "you really don't."

"What do you mean?" I asked after a beat and I heard him sigh heavily.

"It's my dad," Andrew said sounding tired. "He has this thing about dating. He . . . he thinks school should come first."

"So, you told . . . you said that it didn't mean anything because of Sam?" I asked.

"Yes," Andrew said slowly and it felt like my heart was in my throat as I tried to swallow. Somehow I managed and I let out a soft sigh.

"Oh," I said quietly. "So, it really meant something?"

"Yes," he said and I closed my eyes and bit my lip for second before I opened my eyes again and smiled.

"Good," I said and I heard him laugh quietly.

"Good?" he asked.

"Yeah, because it meant something to me too," I admitted as I started picking at my comforter again. He was quiet for a minute before I heard him sigh, in what sounded like relief.

"It's supposed to be nice tomorrow," he said, sounding much happier than he had two minutes before when our conversation began. "Do you want to meet me at First Beach in the morning, say ten?" he asked and I was smiling again. However, my smile slipped when I remembered what Andrew had said about Sam not wanting him to date.

"What about your dad?" I asked. "Won't he be upset with you if he finds out you're seeing me again?"

"I really don't care if he does," Andrew said before he paused for a second. "I like you, Liv," he admitted quietly, "and I have for a while."

"Really?" I asked, unable to hide my surprise.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Andrew asked.

"I just . . . no reason," I said quickly, my face heating.

"How about we talk about it tomorrow at the beach?" he asked me and I found myself nodding before I remembered we were on the phone and I needed to give him a verbal answer.

"Sure," I said.

"Great," he said and I could hear the smile that was on his face in his voice. "I'll see you tomorrow, Liv."

"See you tomorrow," I said.

"Good night," he said in parting and I laughed quietly.

"Good night," I said back before I hung up the phone and laughed as I flopped back against my pillows. Quickly, I climbed from my bed and left my room. I padded over to Lucas' room and knocked on his partially open door before I pushed it the rest of the way. Lucas was lounging back on his bed, book in hand and looked up at me and smiled.

"Hey," he said before I walked over and flopped down on his bed, sitting on the edge and making him bounce slightly as I smiled brightly at him. Lucas laughed and put his right index finger on the page he was reading and closed his book over his finger. "What's got you smiling like an idiot?" he asked.

"Can you give me a ride to First Beach tomorrow morning?" I asked and he cocked an eyebrow.

"Why?" he asked.

"Can you?" I asked again and he tilted his head to the side.

"Tell me why first," he said and I huffed.

"Drew just called and asked me to meet him at the beach tomorrow morning," I said and Lucas grinned.

"Is it a date this time?" Lucas asked and I felt my face heat as I smacked his leg. However, he just looked at me and waited for my answer.

"Maybe," I said and he smiled.

"What time do you need to meet him?" Lucas asked.

"Ten," I said.

"I'll take you," Lucas said and I smiled at him before I launched myself at him and hugged him.

"Thank you!" I said happily and Lucas laughed as he hugged me back.

"You're welcome," he said and I pulled away from him before I stood from his bed.

"Night," I said and he laughed as I practically skipped the short distance to his door.

"Good night," he said through his laughter and I went into my room. I took off my glasses and climbed back into my bed, unable to stop smiling. I guess I wasn't an idiot after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I think I responded to you all but if I missed you or if you sent an annonymous review THANK YOU. I hope you all like this chapter. Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

Chapter 4

Andrew and I had been walking along the beach for about ten minutes. After our initial greeting, we hadn't said much more to each other as we walked along the sand. The sun wasn't out, but it wasn't raining and it wasn't cold. It was a nice day like Andrew had said. Sure, it was a bit dreary, but nice all the same. Andrew cleared his throat beside me and I looked up at him before he caught my left hand in his right and stopped walking.

"Liv, why did you sound so surprised when I told you that I like you last night?" he asked me and I blushed as I turned my face away from his.

"Wow, getting right to it," I said with a light laugh to try and loosen the knots in my stomach before I looked back up at him. He was smiling at me and shrugged his shoulders as he rubbed his thumb on the back of my hand.

"So?" he asked and even though I had worn my hair back in a ponytail, I tucked a few loose strands behind my ear that the wind had blown free.

"So," I said drawing out the word and Andrew laughed quietly as he raised his eyebrows expectantly. "I just . . . I didn't think you saw me that way. I mean, most guys see me as Brandon, Braden, or Lucas' little sister; and . . . well, I'm not the prettiest girl in class." I had found his chest much more interesting than his face as I had spoke and Andrew raised his left hand tilted my chin up so I was looking into his eyes once again.

"You _are_ one of the prettiest girls in class, Liv," he said as he lowered his hand and I felt my cheeks heat once more at the sincerity I saw in his eyes. "You may not think it, but I think you are and so do a few other guys."

"Seriously?" I asked, not believing him, and he nodded.

"Seriously," he said. "They're just too afraid of Brandon, Braden, and Lucas to try anything."

"And you're not?" I asked. My face felt like it was going to burn off it was so hot from my blush that erupted hard when Andrew smiled at me. He had a way of smiling that just made me feel . . . I guess it just made me feel really special.

"If I'm not afraid of my dad, Liv, I'm not afraid of your brothers," Andrew said slowly and I smiled. "Besides, I saw that Lucas was the one that dropped you off. If I'm in Lucas' good graces, I think I'll be fine. He'd be able to keep Brandon and Braden from hurting me too bad or actually killing me." I laughed at the playful but serious look on his face and Andrew chuckled quietly. "So, what do you want to do?" he asked before we started walking along the beach again, that time hand in hand. I looked up at him and he smiled at me. "I borrowed DJ's truck, so, we can go for a drive if you want, or we can just hang out at the beach for a while."

"How about we go for a drive?" I suggested. "It's nice out today, but the wind off the water's a little cold." He smiled at me and nodded his head.

"Okay, let's head back," he said and we turned around before we headed back towards where I had seen DJ's old pick up when Lucas dropped me off. Once there, Andrew opened the passenger door for me, but he took hold of my right hand as I started to climb in. I stopped and looked up at him expectantly.

"Something wrong?" I asked and he shook his head as he moved closer to me.

"No," he said softly before suddenly his lips were on mine for the second time in two days. As suddenly as the kiss started, and my eyes fluttered open to look up at him. "I just wanted to do that," he said with a smile.

I smiled at him in return before I raised my left hand to his face and brought his lips back down to mine. I could feel his smile against my lips before he took control of the kiss and wrapped me up into his arms. Two days ago, if someone would have told me I would have initiated a kiss between Andrew and me, I would have laughed in their face. However, I knew that he liked me and I had nothing to lose. That time, the kiss ended slowly and when we pulled apart both of us were slightly breathless and I was securely pressed to Andrew's body.

"Wow," he breathed when we looked at each other and I smiled for what felt like the thousandth time in the forty-five minutes we'd been together. My left hand was still on the side of his face and I ran my thumb along his cheek while my right hand rested on his chest. "What was that for?" he asked and I laughed quietly.

"It was just something I wanted to do," I said, tweaking his words just a bit, and he smiled that smile of his that seemed like it was only for me. "So," I said as I lowered my hand from his face and rested it with my right hand on his chest, "are we going for that ride?" I asked and Andrew chuckled before nodded.

Slowly, he let me go and helped me up into the truck before he closed the door and made his way around the front. I smiled to myself as I buckled my seatbelt and watched him as he let out a heavy breath and ran his hand through his hair before a small smile graced his lips. He climbed into the truck, turned it on and buckled his own seatbelt before he turned his smile to me. I smiled back at him as he put the truck into gear before he reached over and took hold of my hand. My smile grew and to my surprise he winked at me before he pulled out onto the road, his eyes going forward.

I watched him for a few seconds before I looked at the road ahead of us. As we sat there in the comfortable quiet of the cab of the truck, I couldn't stop smiling. I knew by the end of the day my face was going to hurt from all the smile I was doing, but I really didn't care. Sore facial muscles were really a small price to pay and totally worth it.

* * *

Andrew and I ended up at the small diner near the fishing ports for lunch around one o'clock, and we were in the middle of our meals when our private day was interrupted. "Hey Liv," came Brandon's voice and I held back a groan as both Andrew and I looked up to see both Brandon and Braden walking over to our table. It looked like they had just finished a run since both were wearing only their basketball shorts and tennis shoes. "Drew," Brandon said as he nodded his head at Andrew.

"Hey guys," Andrew said, his tone cool and collected and a small smile on his face. "Been running?" Andrew asked and Braden nodded.

"Yeah," Braden said before he looked between the two of us. "What are you guys up to?"

"We're having lunch," I said.

"Does Dad know where you are?" Brandon asked, his arms crossing over his chest and I rolled my eyes while Braden smirked at my reaction.

"Mom knows that I'm spending the day with Drew," I said, "and so does Lucas."

"Lucas?" Brandon asked, an eyebrow raised and I nodded before I looked away from him and popped a fry in my mouth. I looked at Andrew who was pushing down a smile as I chewed before Brandon's hot hand was on my left arm.

"Scoot," he said and I sighed as I slid my plate over and scooted over on the bench seat. Andrew did the same before Braden sat down in the seat next to him.

"Don't you guys have somewhere else to be? We're trying to eat," I said as I looked between my brothers. They looked at each other, smirked and then both of them looked at me once again.

"No," they harmonized and I rolled my eyes. I looked at Andrew once more. He smiled at me then and shrugged his shoulders.

"Sorry," I mouthed and he shook his head.

"It's fine. Don't worry," he mouthed back as Clara, our waitress, came over and took Brandon and Braden's order. There went our pleasant afternoon.

* * *

"Hey, where are you two going?" Brandon asked as the four of us walked out of the diner thirty minutes later.

"Nowhere that concerns you!" I called over my shoulder as I walked to DJ's truck with Andrew, holding onto his hand and really not caring that my brothers could see.

"Hold up!" Braden yelled as they jogged over to us and caught Andrew's arm, effectively pulling him away from me and forcing our hands apart. "We need to have a chat." I frowned as I looked at my brothers and then at Andrew. He had an exasperated look on his face, almost like he knew exactly what was coming, as Braden let go of his arm.

"Guys, come on," I said as I put my hands on my hips.

"It's okay, Liv," Andrew said and I looked at him. "It'll only take a few minutes. You can wait in the truck." I glanced at Brandon and Braden before I looked back at Andrew.

"You sure?" I asked him and he smiled at me before he nodded. I sighed and looked at my brothers once more. They didn't look too happy and I could only imagine what they were going to say to him. "Fine," I said lightly. I turned around and walked over to the truck before I climbed into the cab. I waited about a minute before I looked over to the trio.

Brandon and Braden had serious looks on their faces as Brandon spoke. I couldn't see Andrew's face, only his back, and judging by how tense his body was it was pretty obvious that whatever Brandon was saying he didn't like it. I saw Andrew raise his hands in front of him before he shook his head fiercely and said something that didn't seem to sit well with Brandon or Braden before he turned on the balls of his feet and stormed towards the truck. He looked pissed off and I looked at Braden and Brandon only to find Braden literally dragging a practically shaking Brandon out of the parking lot and towards the trees.

Andrew climbed into the truck and slammed the door so hard that the vibration shook the entire truck. He let out a heavy breath through his nose before he gripped the steering wheel so tightly that the knuckles of his hands were almost white.

"Drew?" I asked softly.

"Yeah?" he asked, his voice tight as he kept his eyes ahead and out the windshield.

"What did they say to you?" I asked and he let out another breath, that time through his mouth, before he turned his eyes to me.

"Nothing," he said with a tight smile. I shook my head negatively as I scooted closer to him on the bench seat of the older truck.

"It wasn't nothing," I said with a frown. "You're upset and Brandon looked like he was going to rip your head off." He sighed heavily as he looked away from me and finally loosened his grip on the steering wheel before he slid his hands down to rest in his lap.

"He probably would have," Andrew said in a whisper, but I heard him in all the same and my frown only deepened as I looked down at my hands in my lap. If Brandon and Braden were going to act that way over me having lunch with Andrew and holding his hand, I didn't know how they were going to react if our relationship grew serious. My pensive look must not have gone unnoticed because the next thing I knew, Andrew's much larger hand encompassed my left one into his right and I looked up at him. "Liv, we talked about this already," he said. "I'm not scared of your brothers."

"I didn't think they would act like that," I said. "Are you sure I'm worth the trouble?" his face softened as he looked at me before he leaned into me and kissed me chastely.

"More than worth it," he said and I couldn't help but smile at him before he kissed me again. "Let's forget the last ten minutes happened and go to Port Angeles to catch a movie." Even though Dad was going to completely flip out if he found out I went to Port Angeles, I smiled, nodded, and kissed Andrew again before I settled myself back into my seat. Andrew let go of my hand while we both fastened our seatbelts and he started up the truck.

The second we were on the open road, Andrew took my hand once again. I gave his hand a squeeze as I looked out my window and at the passing trees. For a second, I thought I saw something that was very large running through the trees and keeping speed with the truck. However, it was gone as soon as I saw it and I figured my eyes were just playing tricks on me. I probably needed to stop wearing my contacts and wear my glasses for a few days.

* * *

"That is the last time I ever let you pick a movie," I said as I wrapped my arms around Andrew's bent arm and walked with him out of the theater. He laughed deeply as he looked down at me.

"What was wrong with it?" he asked with a grin.

"I felt sick after the first ten minutes," I said, grimacing as I remembered the shaking of the camera work and the blood and gore that had been the terrible horror movie Andrew picked and had talked me into seeing. Of course he had to buy my ticket for me since I wasn't seventeen for another ten weeks.

"Well, I liked it," he said.

"Really?" I asked as we walked outside and he smiled as he looked down at me once more and pulled his arm from my grasp before he wrapped it around my shoulders and pulled me close to him.

"Of course I did," he said. "You were burrowed into my side throughout the whole movie. It was the best ninety minutes of my life so far." I rolled my eyes, laughed, and playfully smacked his chest before I wrapped my arm around his waist and rested my head on his shoulder as we walked towards his truck.

Andrew kissed the top of my head and I turned my face towards him with a smile and he smiled back at me before he kissed my lips chastely. I sighed contentedly as he pulled away and looked ahead once more only to stop short and gasp. Andrew's hold on me tightened as he came to a stop on the sidewalk with me. Standing next to DJ's truck with their arms crossed over their chests and disapproving looks on their faces was Andrew's dad and mine.

* * *

"What were you thinking going to Port Angeles on your own?" Dad's voice boomed loudly in the cab of his truck and I just sat in the front passenger seat, my arms crossed over my chest, and looking forward.

"I wasn't on my own, Dad, I was with Drew," I said.

"And what were you doing with him in the first place?" he asked, his tone still harsh. "I thought he was _just _a friend as you told me a million times."

"Things changed, I guess," I said.

"Obvious," Dad said bitterly. "You're grounded."

"What?" I asked as I finally looked at him.

"Until school starts the only time you're leaving the house is with either your mother or me," Dad said, "and you'll be lucky that I'll let you go to any of the bonfires this year."

"Dad, that's not fair," I said.

"Your damn right it's fair," he said, twisting my words. "You broke the biggest rule I set for you, Olivia, and you're lucky I don't lock you in your room until your thirty."

"All this because I went to a movie with a boy that I like and that happens to like me back?" I asked, tears lining my eyes.

"No, all this is because you broke a rule and because that boy you like happens to be a Uley," Dad said and I frowned.

"What does Drew being a Uley have to do with anything?" I asked.

"It has to do with everything, Olivia," Dad said. "There are things about Drew you don't know, Olivia, and I'm not going to let you get hurt."

"It's all a part of growing up, Dad," I said sharply. "I'm not going to learn anything if you don't let me stumble every once in a while."

"This discussion is over," Dad said, his grip so tight on the steering wheel I was pretty sure he actually bent it. "When we get home, you're going to hand over your phone and your laptop. You can use the computer only when your mother or I are home and you have to use it at the kitchen table."

"I can't believe you're doing this," I said quietly as I shook my head and a few tears fell from my eyes.

"You brought this on yourself."

"For going on a date, your making me a prisoner," I said, but Dad didn't say anything. I shook my head again and looked out the window as the scenery passed by.

* * *

"I hate you both," I said to Brandon and Braden after I practically jumped out of Dad's truck and found my brothers standing on the porch of the house. Brandon stood on the porch, his arms crossed over his chest with a smug look on his face while Braden actually looked remorseful.

"Liv," Braden started but I pushed passed them and went inside.

"Honey," Mom said but much like with Brandon and Braden, I rushed passed her and stomped my way up into my room. "Paul!" I heard Mom yell before Dad was standing at my bedroom door. I had already grabbed my laptop from my desk and took my phone out of my jeans pocket before I turned them over. "What are you doing?" Mom asked.

"Dad's locking me up and throwing away the key," I said as I glared up at my father, but his scowl was just as fierce as mine.

"No, he's not," Mom said before she took my things from Dad and walked into my room.

"Harper," Dad said as Mom handed me back my things and I looked at her surprised.

"You're overreacting, Paul," Mom said as she stood next to me and turned around to look at Dad. "You and Sam are both making a mountain out of a mole hill. You both need to take a step back and relax, and trust me Emily's having this chat with Sam as well. You're going to let nature take its course, Paul." I wasn't sure what Mom meant by that line and Dad looked like he wanted to argue, but Mom simply raised an eyebrow in a silent dare. Surprisingly, he didn't say a word before he growled and stormed down the hall and then down the stairs before I heard the front door slam.

"Mom?" I asked and she looked at me. She gave me a small smile before she pushed my bangs from my eyes.

"Don't worry about your father," she said. "He'll just work off some steam and he'll be fine." She sighed quietly and ran a h and through her auburn hair. "Whatever punishment he put you on, consider it revoked." I raised an eyebrow and she smiled at me. "I may love him, but he lets his temper get the best of him sometimes; especially when it comes to you."

"I know," I said tiredly and Mom laughed quietly.

"Call Drew in the morning," she said.

"I don't know if he will even want to speak to me again," I said.

"He will," she said, and I really, _really_, hoped that she was right.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey all! I hope everyone had a great week and a wonderful Saturday. Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I tried to respond to all the signed reviews and a big thank you to those that left unsigned reviews. So, it's midnight now where I live and I've had a couple of crazy days. I meant to have this up yesterday, but I wasn't happy with it so I spent some time tonight tweaking it. I hope you all like it, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

I called Andrew the second I woke up, but I ended up getting his voicemail. I left him a message asking him to meet me at the diner at noon. It was just after nine, so, I wanted to make sure he had plenty of time to get the message and meet me at the diner. If he'd even show up after the show our Dad's put on last night.

I knew Dad was already at work, so, I would avoid any sort of confrontation with him that morning. It was Tuesday, so, I knew Brandon and Braden were home because every other week they only worked Wednesday through Friday, and it just happened to be one of their odd weeks. They were probably downstairs stuffing their faces with the bacon and eggs I could smell Mom cooking for breakfast. Lucas and Alex were probably down there with them.

I wasn't really angry with Braden because I had a feeling that Brandon was the culprit behind Dad and Sam showing up in Port Angeles last night. Brandon had been more upset with me seeing Andrew than Braden was. I felt bad for telling them I hated them because I didn't hate them. I had just been upset and angry last night. However, what they did had been wrong. I'd never betrayed them like they did me, and obviously whatever they had told Dad was an over exaggeration of what they saw. I sighed and climbed from my bed before I left my room and went into the bathroom where the shower awaited me.

Once I was out of the shower, I threw my towel dried but still damp hair up into a knot on the back of my head before I trudged into my room and got dressed. I had no idea what to wear that day, but upon looking out my window and seeing the sun I opened for a pair of dark jean cut offs, a pale pink tank top, and a white fitted short sleeved button up that I left unbutton. Instead of having Lucas drop me off or borrowing Mom's car, I decided I was going to walk to the diner. It would take an hour, but it was an hour that I would have to myself.

After putting on my glasses and pulling out a pair of simple white tennis shoes from my closet, I tugged on ankle socks and put on my tennis shoes. I tucked my wallet and my phone in the back pockets of my jean shorts and went downstairs. I took a deep breath and headed into the kitchen where I found my brothers settled at the table eating and Mom standing at the stove. All four of my brothers looked at me. I ignored Brandon and smiled at the others.

"Morning Braden, Lucas, Alex," I said before I turned and walked over to the fridge. "Morning Mom."

"Morning, sweetie," Mom said with a small smile and I grabbed a small bottle of orange juice from the fridge.

"What, I don't get a good morning?" Brandon asked and I sighed as I closed the fridge and turned around to look at him.

"No," I said firmly. Brandon raised an eyebrow while Braden gave his twin a look that clearly asked him if he was stupid. "I'm sorry for saying I hate you both last night. I was upset and hurt," I said as I looked between Braden and Brandon before I settled my eyes on Brandon, "but I'm still mad at you."

"Why?" he asked as he put his fork down on his plate and looked at me with a frown.

"Think about it, Brandon," I said before I walked over to Mom and grabbed a few pieces of bacon from the platter Mom had by the stove and looked at her. "I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be home later, but I have my phone."

"Okay," she said as she nodded her head and looked at me, her small smile still in place. I ate my bacon as I walked out of the kitchen and started down the foyer, but just as I was reaching for the door a hot hand wrapped around my upper arm. I turned around only to look up at Brandon.

"What?" I asked as I pulled my arm from his hand, my grip tightening on the bottle of orange juice still in my hand.

"Look, Liv, I'm sorry," Brandon said, "but I did what's best for you."

"Why do you and Dad think you know what's best for me?" I asked with a frown.

"Because we do, Liv! You're only sixteen and neither one of us want to see you get hurt," Brandon said and I mentally groaned. Why were they so worried about me getting hurt? I could understand their concern, but it wasn't necessary. My relationship with Andrew was just starting, but thanks to them it was probably already over.

"You don't know what's best for me, Brandon," I said, "and if I get hurt, I get hurt. I highly doubt a broken heart is easy to deal with, but if it happens, it happens. You're there for me _then_, not tearing a relationship a part before it even has a chance to turn into something because you don't want me to get hurt."

"Liv," Brandon started, a sad expression on his face, but I shook my head.

"I really don't want to hear it," I said. "What you did was wrong. I didn't do _anything_ that warranted the wrath that Dad laid on me last night. Yeah, I went to Port Angeles without him or you or Braden or Lucas; but I was with Drew and he wouldn't have let anything happen to me. Besides, it's Port Angeles!

"The town's barely bigger than La Push and you guys make it seem like it's like New York City and I'm going to get mugged if I walk through the wrong neighborhood." I sighed heavily and ran my hand over the top of my head as I looked down at the floor for a few seconds. I looked up at Brandon and he actually looked defeated. For a second I felt bad, but he needed to understand how I felt. "Like I told Dad," I said, "I'm not going to learn anything if I'm not allowed to make a few mistakes along the way."

"Fine," he said, "but when everything falls apart I'm not going to be afraid to tell you 'I told you so.'"

"You sound so sure that it is going to fall apart," I said and he shook his head.

"I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I am," he said, his face a mask of seriousness that left a very unsettling feeling in my stomach. I had never seen him look so serious and I found myself doubting the last few days and everything that had happened between Andrew and me.

"Brandon," came Mom's voice and he turned around while I looked to the doorway of the kitchen where she stood. I could see the others still settled at the table before Lucas stood up and stood behind Mom. "That's enough. You and your father have said what you had to say and so has Olivia. It's her life and you're not going to stop her from living it."

"Mom," Brandon started, but Mom interrupted.

"Enough Brandon," Mom said, her hands settling on her hips. Brandon sighed heavily as he nodded and looked at me briefly before he turned and walked back into the kitchen and settled at the table in his spot next to Braden. Lucas walked over to me while Mom gave me a small smile before she went back into the kitchen and I looked up at Lucas.

"Please tell me you're not going to harp on me too," I said heavily and Lucas shook his head before he grabbed his car keys from the hook that hung on the wall by the door.

"Nope," he said. "I'm going to give you a ride to wherever it is you want to go."

"Lucas you don't have to do that," I said. "I want to walk."

"Then we'll walk together," Lucas said before he tucked his keys into the front pocket of his jeans and opened the front door. I sighed and walked outside with him following behind me before he closed the door. We walked down the porch steps and Lucas threw his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to his warm body before the two of us started walking. "They meant well, you know," Lucas said once we reached the road and walked along the shoulder.

"I know," I said before I opened my orange juice and took a big drink from the bottle. "I just don't understand why they're so against Drew and me seeing each other."

"They have their reasons, they just handled it wrong; and I'm talking about Dad too," he said after a few beats and I sighed as I rested my head on his shoulder. We walked in silence for a few minutes, my head still resting on his shoulder. Lucas was the most levelheaded person I knew, besides Mom anyway, and I knew that he would calmly tell me his opinion on the whole thing. However, after Dad and Brandon made their opinions so well known I wasn't so sure that I wanted to know Lucas'.

"Lucas, can I ask you something?" I asked as I lifted my head and looked up at him. He grinned as he looked down at me and I rolled my eyes because I knew his answer before he even said it.

"You just did, but you can ask me something else," he said and I laughed quietly before I sighed and brought the two of us to a stop. I slipped out from under Lucas' arm and moved to stand in front of him.

"Do you know why Dad and Brandon are so against Drew and I being together?" I asked and Lucas tensed slightly. "I mean, last night, Dad was angrier about me being with Drew than about me going to Port Angeles. He made a big deal over the fact that Drew's a Uley, and I don't understand what his last name has to do with anything." Lucas tensed even more and his fists clenched at his sides. As I looked in his eyes I knew he knew why they were acting like they were and just why Andrew being a Uley was a big deal. "You know," I said and he sighed as he looked down at me. "Lucas, tell me."

"I can't," he said.

"Why not?" I asked with a frown.

"Because I can't, Liv," he said tightly and my frown only deepened. "I _want_ to tell you. I just _can't_." I knew he was telling the truth by the look on his face. He wanted to tell me, but it was like it was almost physically impossible for him to tell me what he knew; and I had an idea what was keeping him from telling me.

"Does this have to do with the elders?" I asked with a frown.

"What?" Lucas asked, as his eyebrows rose in surprise. "What makes you think that?"

"You, Brandon, and Braden are always doing stuff for the elders," I said with a shrug, "and Dad's always going to the council meetings. Is it like some secret society thing or something?"

"You've been borrowing too many of those conspiracy theory books from Uncle Jason," Lucas said as he shook his head. His tone may have been light but the fact that his body was still as stiff as a board was leading me to think otherwise.

"I'm serious, Lucas," I said. "Given Sam's standing with the elders, is Drew supposed to marry some full blood native princess or something? The Uley line can't be tainted by a half-breed?" I asked, my own body going tense. That was another thing that my siblings, my cousins, and I went through growing up. Since we weren't full native like everyone else, comments tended to be thrown around. However, they had grown few and far between as we'd gotten older; especially since Brandon and Braden went through their growth spurts.

"Now that's a stupid theory," Lucas said. His body relaxing as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, what am I supposed to think? That's the only thing I can come up with for why everyone seems to be up in arms over it," I said, exasperated.

"Liv, do you _really_ think Dad and Brandon would react that way if that was the case?" he asked me, eyebrow raised. He had a point there.

"No, they wouldn't," I said with a sigh. Lucas smiled and uncrossed his arms before he put a hand on my shoulder.

"There's a lot you don't know, Liv, but someday you will. You'll know when the time is right. You just have to be patient," he told me gently and I sighed quietly. I had no idea what that meant, but I knew that he wasn't going to give me any more than that; so, I would have to be satisfied. I nodded my head and ran my hand over the top of my head.

"Fine," I said, "but if Drew still wants to see me, I'm going to see him."

"I know," he said as he lowered his hand, "and I don't think you have to worry too much about Dad and Brandon anymore. Mom won't let them get on you."

"Yeah, I know," I said before I opened my orange juice and took another drink of my juice. I sighed again before I turned around and started walking along the road once more. Lucas joined me and fell into line next to me as I walked. I was putting the top back on my juice when Lucas swiped the bottle from me. "Hey," I said and he smiled before he took a drink from the bottle, nearly downing the whole thing. I laughed quietly and shook my head as he held the almost empty bottle to me. "It's all yours," I said and he shrugged before he finished it off and tucked the empty bottle into the back pocket of his jeans. "You owe me a juice," I said absently and Lucas laughed before he threw his arm around my shoulders once more.

"I'll get you a glass when we get to the diner," he said and I frowned as I looked up at him.

"How'd you know where I was planning on going?" I asked and he smiled.

"I heard you leave a message for Drew this morning," he said.

"Oh," I said and he chuckled.

"Yeah, 'oh,'" he said and I smiled weakly at him before I returned my eyes to the road ahead and sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. "Don't worry, Liv, he'll be there."

"You sure?" I asked him quietly without looking at him.

"I'm sure," he said as he squeezed my shoulders, and I believed him. We continued on in silence, almost as though the last ten minutes hadn't happened, but I kept Lucas' words in the back of my head. I was going to put the events between Dad and me and Brandon and me behind me. Hopefully, they would be able to do the same.

* * *

Lucas bought me the juice he owed me along with breakfast seeing as he felt the two pieces of bacon I ate wasn't good enough, Lucas left me on my own to wait for Andrew. I didn't have long to wait. It was only minutes after eleven and the waitress had just picked my empty plate up from the table when Andrew came walking into the diner, his eyes quickly scanning the room until he spotted me.

Our eyes met and I couldn't help but smile as I looked at him. His tense shoulders relaxed before he smiled at me in return and with long strides, he made his way over to me. I stood from the booth and I had no more righted myself when Andrew took me into his arms and hugged me tight. He kissed the top of my head and I closed my eyes, wishing I would have worn my contacts so I could have buried my face into his chest. We pulled apart and he looked me over.

"You seem to be in one piece," he said and I laughed.

"For the most part," I said and he smiled. "I see you survived."

"Barely," he said lightly before he brought his hands to my face and ran his thumbs along my cheeks. "Did you sleep?" he asked and I nodded as I raised my hands to his wrists and pulled his hands from my face before I took his hands into my own.

"A little," I said with a small smile and he nodded as he squeezed my hands tightly. It was then that I remembered we were standing in the middle of the diner with every set of eyes trained on us. I blushed when I caught a few gazes and quickly returned my eyes to Andrew's. "Are you hungry?" I asked and he shook his head.

"No," he said. "Have you paid?" I nodded seeing as Lucas had already paid for me. "Good," he said quietly before his left hand let go of my right and he kept a hold of my left hand with his right and led me out of the diner. He had borrowed his brother's truck again, and opened the passenger door for me. It was only when I climbed in when we finally let go of each other's hands.

He walked around the truck and got in before he started the truck and pulled out of the gravel parking lot. Once we were on the road, he took my hand into his once again and I looked at him. His eyes were focused ahead and I smiled at him as I leaned my head back against the glass of the window behind the bench seat.

"Do I have something on my face?" he asked suddenly with a smirk on his face before he glanced at me and I laughed as I lifted my head from the glass.

"No," I said.

"Then why are you staring?" he asked.

"Because I'm happy that you showed up," I answered honestly and he frowned slightly as he glanced at me again.

"Did you think I wouldn't?" he asked.

"I didn't know," I said quietly and his hold on my hand tightened before he slowed the truck down and pulled over to the side of the road. He had no more put the truck into park before he unbuckled his seat belt and moved so that there was barely any distance between our bodies. He leaned over me before he raised his left hand to rest on the side of my face and brought his lips to mine. The kiss wasn't long and it wasn't deep, but it was gentle and surprisingly reassuring. When he pulled his lips from mine, his forehead was pressed against mine. I opened my eyes as I pulled my head back slightly so I could look into his eyes.

"I don't care what my dad or anybody else says," Andrew said; his dark eyes serious. "I like you, Liv, and until you tell me to get lost; I'm not going anywhere."

"Really?" I asked.

"Really."

"And if I never tell you to get lost?" I asked, smiling slightly as I blinked away the tears that lined my eyes. He laughed and ran his thumb along my cheek.

"Then I guess you're stuck with me," he said and I laughed softly before I titled my head and caught his lips in a chaste kiss. However, he didn't let it remain chaste. Andrew pressed his lips to mine a little firmer and slowly deepened the kiss. My heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest as it pounded hard against my rib cage while I kissed him back.

The anger, frustration, worry, and confusion I had been swimming in all morning was gone as I sat there in the cab of that old truck being kissed senseless by the boy I had liked for as long as I could remember. Slowly, Andrew pulled his lips from mine and once again pressed his forehead to mine. Our breath mingled and we both labored for air and Andrew lifted his head. Both of us opened our eyes and looked at each other at the same time.

I smiled at him and he smiled back before he started to lean into me again. I closed my eyes and prepared to meet his lips once more when I heard a soft growl coming from outside the truck. Andrew's body tensed and I opened my eyes only to see him looking out the passenger window.

"What was that?" I asked quietly before I followed his gaze and looked towards the trees that lined the two lane road. For a second, I thought I saw something very large and dark gray move in the trees but it was gone just as quickly as I thought I saw it.

"Nothing," Andrew said and I turned my face back to his just as he looked back at me. "It was probably just a bear or something." He smiled at me then and I smiled back before he kissed me softly. "You feel like cliff diving?" he asked me as he pulled away from me and settled himself back in his seat. I laughed quietly as he buckled his seatbelt and put the truck back in gear.

"Only if you jump with me at the same time," I said and he grinned.

"Deal," he said and with that we were back on the road, once again hand in hand. The day started out terrible, but it was only getting better.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone! Thank you all for your reviews and adds. I am so happy you guys are enjoying this story and it means a lot for me to know what you think. I hope you all like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"Maybe this is a bad idea," I said as I looked down at the water that gently crashed against the cliff face. The water wasn't choppy because there was barely any wind, but my nerves suddenly made their appearance. Granted, my older brothers and their friends jumped from higher up and I've jumped off the very ledge I stood on dozens of time, but I never made the jump the first part of summer. It always took me forever to gather the courage to jump, and I had no idea why I agreed to go cliff diving with him.

"Are you afraid?" Andrew asked from beside me and I looked away from the water and over my right shoulder to his grinning face.

"No," I said far too quickly and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Really?" he asked and I rolled my eyes as I huffed a bit.

"Okay, so, I'm a little bit afraid," I admitted and his grin melted to a smile at my admission. "It takes me half the summer to get the nerve to jump and usually Grace ends up pushing me over because she gets tired of waiting for me jump." Andrew laughed quietly before he took my right hand into his left.

"We don't have to do this," he said and I pursed my lips before I looked down at the water and sighed softly. Nothing was going to happen to me so long as I was with Andrew. I didn't know why I was so convinced of that, but I was and my fear slowly ebbed away.

"Yes we do," I said as I took my hand from his and peeled my white button up from my body. I looked at him and smiled when I saw he was just standing there looking at me. "Are you going to jump in fully clothed?" I asked as I folded my shirt. Andrew shook his head and took off his own over shirt while I turned away from him for a minute.

I took off my shoes and socks before setting them aside with my shirt resting on top of them and my phone and wallet tucked in my shoes and hidden by my shirt. I knew no one was around and would steal from me, but I hid them all the same so they weren't obvious. I took my glasses off and put them down on top of my shirt before I righted myself and turned around to face him only to gasp quietly when I saw Andrew's bare chest. He was a little fuzzy since I didn't have my glasses on, but I could still see him and gosh he was beautiful. Okay, so, I had seen him shirtless thousands of times when he played football on the beach with his friends or jumped off the cliffs or horsed around in the water. However, all those times I couldn't touch. Now that I could, I could also openly appreciate the view.

"You know, my eyes are up here," he said as he pointed to his face and I blushed before I laughed quietly and looked up at him. Andrew laughed with me and took hold of my waist before he pulled me close and I raised my hands to rest between us and on his chest. His skin was warm and surprisingly soft under my hands. "I think you want to jump just so you can see me without a shirt on."

"Maybe," I said with a grin even though it wasn't true, until then at least. He smiled before he leaned down and kissed me slowly, his grip tightening on my waist as my hands slid up his chest and found their way to his hair. I loved the feel of his hair. It was as soft as it looked and it felt like silk as I ran my fingers through it.

"Whoa," a deep voice said, startling the two of us apart, and we both turned to see Andrew's best friend, Caleb, along with their friends Kyle, Logan, and Eric standing on the path at the tree line. Like Andrew, they were a little fuzzy since I didn't have my glasses on but I could see the surprise on their faces as they looked at us. "Dude," Caleb said with a grin as he walked over to us with the guys on his heels, "when did this happen?" I blushed and looked up at Andrew who was smiling at his best friend as he pulled me even closer to him, pressing me to his chest while my hands remained on his shoulders.

"Sunday," Andrew said evenly and I looked back at Caleb whose eyebrows rose before he smiled. They did the whole 'best friend silent communication thing' that Lucas told me that Grace and I do all the time, but since I was outside looking in this time I didn't like it.

"You guys didn't just come up here to make out did you? Because there's a whole other spot along the cliffs that a lot better for that," Kyle said with a smirk and my blush deepened while Andrew chuckled as he finally loosened his hold on me but kept his right arm around my waist as we turned to face his friends.

"No, we came here to do a little diving," Andrew said.

"You just got distracted, right?" Caleb asked, his tone teasing, and the other guys laughed.

"You could say that," I said, speaking for the first time, and the guys laughed again.

"Well, what are you two waiting for?" Eric asked. "Jump." I looked up at Andrew as he looked down at me and smiled.

"Ready?" he asked and I nodded. We turned around and Andrew took hold of my right hand. I took a deep breath and looked at Andrew once more before we smiled at each other. "1 . . . 2 . . .3," he said before the two of us jumped together. He only let go of my hand when we hit the water and as I broke the surface and laughed, Andrew soon followed and tossed his hair from his face before he pulled me close as we treaded water.

"That wasn't so bad," I said and he laughed again before he kissed me chastely.

"Not bad at all," he said. "Want to go again?" I found myself nodding and the two of us broke apart to swim to shore. Once there we started up the well worn path taken by many before us back up to the cliff everyone dived off, carefully avoiding rocks and dips in the soil as we went. As we got closer to the top, I could hear the boys' voices echoing in the air and Andrew stopped. I looked at him curiously, and he raised a finger to his lips telling me to be quiet before he jerked his head towards where I knew the guys were.

"He's either brave or stupid," I heard Eric say and I raised my eyebrows as I looked at Andrew, but he just smiled. I wasn't sure why he wanted to eavesdrop on his friends, and my face probably showed it.

"Listen, and you'll see what I was talking to you about before," he whispered and I nodded.

"Who?" came Caleb's voice.

"Drew," Eric said.

"What? Why?" Caleb asked, laughing.

"To go after Liv," Kyle said.

"No kidding," Logan said. "She's hot and everything but you guys know her brothers. One wrong move and a guy will be lucky to get away from them with all his limbs."

"It could be worth it though," Kyle said. "I mean, did you see her legs? She's not that tall, but damn, imagine them-" A loud smacking sound echoed before Kyle shouted. "Ow, man! What the hell?" he asked.

"Don't even finish that thought, Kyle," Caleb said sternly as I blushed and looked down only to have Andrew raise his right hand and place his index and middle finger under my chin to turn my face up to him. He was smiling at me.

"See," he said and I knew my face had to be dark red it was so hot.

"There's no lusting after your friend's girl, man," Logan said with a laugh.

"I still think he's crazy," Eric said.

"He's liked her for a while, Eric, you know that; and he's not afraid of them. If he's not afraid of defying the el-" Caleb started to say, but that was the last I heard because Andrew's lips were suddenly on mine and my attention was solely on the boy that wrapped me up into his arms.

Goose bumps rose across my wet skin as our bodies pressed together. After a few bliss filled minutes, Andrew pulled away from me and took hold of my hand before we started up the path again. I stumbled along, a stupid smile on my face as I went, and I forgot all about what Caleb had been about to say.

* * *

_Six Weeks Later_

"I can't believe you've been _dating_ Drew Uley for almost two months," Grace said as she laid on my bed and looked at me from where I sat next to her, my back resting against my headboard with a smile on my face. Grace had been home from camp for all of four hours and she ditched her parents and younger brother and sister to come over to my house. After raiding the kitchen when she first got to the house, we'd been up in my room and over the last hour I had told my best friend of what my summer had been like while she was off at camp.

"Is it really that hard to believe?" I asked and she sat up, her chin length black hair going into her face because of the speed in which she did so.

"No, it's just that Drew's the most wanted guy in our class, and he's never gone on more than one date with a couple of girls," Grace said as she ran a hand through her hair and removing the dark strands from her face. I nodded, knowing she was right, before I shrugged. "So, who made the first move?" she asked and I blushed lightly as I tucked my hair behind my ears. "Oh my gosh, did _you_ make the first move?" Grace asked and I laughed softly.

"No," I said as I shook my head and Grace raised an eyebrow. "I was over at the Uley's because Drew and I were hanging out and listening to music. We were in the kitchen eating a few of Emily's muffins that she'd made that morning when a mini food fight broke out." Despite how that day ended, it was now a pleasant memory for me and I smiled slightly. "I started running away and Drew chased after me. I tripped on the rug in the living room and was falling when Drew caught my waist. I'm still not sure how he managed it, but he took the brunt of the fall with me falling on top of him. I moved off of him to make sure he was okay and the next thing I know, he's kissing me."

"Seriously?" Grace asked and I nodded my head.

"Sam and Emily just happened to come home then and catch us," I said, my blush returning and Grace laughed.

"That had to be awkward," she said and I smiled.

"You have no idea," I said and she smiled at me.

"I'm happy for you, Liv," she said.

"I'm happy for me too," I said and Grace snorted before she rolled her eyes. I had elected not to tell Grace about how Dad and Brandon tried to throw a wrench into the whole thing and how Sam had been against it as well. The last six and a half weeks hadn't been easy, at least when it came to Sam, Dad, and Brandon; but Emily and Mom kept them at bay for the most part and Andrew and I were going strong.

Andrew had surprised me over the Fourth of July when everyone got together for a cookout at his family's house. Of course, everyone knew we were dating but I wasn't sure how to act with our families around along with everyone that had watched the two of us grow up and our friends. I was all set to keep my distance to avoid any awkward glances or questions, but as I walked into the backyard with my parents and brothers with a casserole dish in hand Andrew came over, took the dish from me and greeted me with a chaste kiss. After that, we were practically inseparable; only really parting when Mom asked me to help bring the food from inside out to the yard when it was time to eat.

"So, you think Drew could but a good word in for me with Caleb?" Grace asked and I laughed as Grace wiggled her eyebrows and referred to Andrew's best friend. Grace didn't have a crush on Caleb, she just thought he was hot and Grace, well, she tended to be more into the wrapping than what was inside. She wasn't really shallow, she was just a sixteen year old girl that wasn't looking for a serious relationship and was a tad bit boy crazy.

"Maybe," I said through my laughter and Grace laughed with me before she ran her hand through her hair again. "They'll be at the bonfire tonight, so, maybe you can work some magic of your own."

"I'll be able to if you let me borrow that green top of yours," she said and I smiled at her. I knew exactly what top she was referring to. We'd gone shopping the week before she left for camp and I bought a really nice dark green blouse that both of us really liked. Grace may have had a better body than I did since she her body was toner thanks to her participation in track/cross country, but we were just about the same size. I wore a size or two bigger depending on the cut and that was really because I didn't like my clothes tight like Grace did.

"As long as I get it back in one piece and stain free, you can," I said and she smiled and clapped before she hugged me.

"Thank you," she said happily as she pulled apart and I nodded as I laughed.

"Hey," a deep voice said from the doorway, making both Grace and I jump in surprise as we looked to my bedroom door only to see Andrew standing there with a smile. "Your mom said I could come up," he said and I smiled at him before I climbed from the bed and bound over to him before I hugged him tight. We hadn't seen each other in person for a couple of days because he'd gone on a fishing trip over the weekend with DJ. He laughed into my hair and hugged me in return before he pressed his lips to the side of my head.

"How was your trip?" I asked as I pulled back slightly and looked up at him.

"Good," he said. "I out caught DJ, which has him a little miffed, but it's all in good fun." I smiled up at him and he laughed quietly before his right hand left my waist and pushed my hair from my face as he looked down at me.

"Hello! You two aren't alone in here you know," came Grace's laughing voice and I blushed as I turned out of Andrew's arms and smiled at my best friend who was grinning at me before she looked at Andrew. "Hey Drew," she said and I looked at Andrew as he smiled and nodded his head before he wrapped his right arm around me, his hand resting on my upper waist as I settled at his side.

"Grace," he said evenly. "How was camp?"

"Boring," she said, "but it was great to come home and find out you finally got your head out of your ass."

"Grace!" I said, my face darkening while Andrew chuckled.

"What?" she said, trying to feign innocence but failing miserably and I just rolled my eyes in response while Andrew's grip tightened his hold on my waist. "So," Grace said as she climbed from my bed and moved to my closet. "At the bonfire tonight, try and keep the lovey dovey and PDA stuff to a minimum," she said as she opened the door and quickly found the top she was looking for before she looked at us with a smile. "I'd like to keep my food down." I blushed again while Andrew laughed.

"I'm not making any promises," Andrew said and I looked up at him to see him smiling at me again.

"Ugh, you're doing it already!" Grace cried and Andrew and I laughed as we looked at her smiling face. "I should go and get ready. I'm dying for a decent hot shower. Thanks for the top, Liv, and I'll see you guys at the bonfire."

"Bye Grace," Andrew and I harmonized and she rolled her eyes.

"Five minutes and I'm already ready to puke from the cuteness," she said before she shook her head and left. Andrew and I laughed as we looked at each other once more.

"I missed you while I was gone," he said as he brought his left hand to my face and once again pushed away my hair. I was wearing my contacts, so, he gently tucked my hair behind my ear before he lowered her hand.

"I missed you too," I said and he smiled at me. However, I frowned when I noticed something for the first time since we greeted each other. "Have you gotten taller?" I asked.

"I don't think so," he said, his body tensing slightly.

"I think you have," I said. "When you left the top of my head was at your chin, now I'm barely brushing your shoulder."

"I've been gone a few days," he said, "maybe I had a growth spurt or something." He spoke softly and in an almost woeful tone as he looked down at me.

"I guess that just gives me all the more reason to wear high heels then, huh?" I asked with a grin as I tried to get him to smile. It worked because he chuckled and nodded his head. He was about to lean in and kiss me but his lips barely brushed mine when a hot hand was on my upper arm and I was pulled away from Andrew. Startled, I gasped as I stumbled back only to see Dad standing next to me and holding on tight while he glared at Andrew.

"I'm letting you date my daughter despite my better judgment, Andrew," Dad said, his voice surprisingly calm, but I knew when his voice was calm he meant business. "However, the two of you aren't to be alone in her room. Understood?"

"Dad," I said quietly, but still his eyes remained on Andrew.

"Yes sir," Andrew said and Dad looked at me.

"Come on, Liv," Dad said. "You need to help your mother pack up the food we need to take." I sighed quietly and nodded my head as he let go of my arm and looked back at Andrew. "And, Drew, you can help me and the boys load everything into the trucks."

"Sure," Andrew said before he glanced at me and left my room with Dad and me following behind him. Andrew paused in the foyer and when I reached the bottom of the stairs, he took my hand before I could turn towards the kitchen. I smiled up at him and he winked at me as he squeezed my hand gently. He let go of my hand then and followed Dad outside while I let out a soft sigh and went into the kitchen where Mom awaited me.

Mom and Emily had agreed to cater this bonfire while Uncle Jason and Jared were bringing the meat to grill for everyone. It was the tribal bonfire that took place every summer and I was looking forward to hearing old Billy Black tell the legends of the Quileute people. I never got tired of listening to them. There was nothing quite like hearing Billy talk about the 'cold ones' while settled around a burning fire that eliminated the chill of the night air and casted an orange glow on everyone around with the darkness of night outside the glow. Truthfully, I found the legends better than any scary movie and I never left the beach feeling sick to my stomach like I did after most scary movies. It was the best part of the night and since I was going to be sitting with Andrew that night as Billy told the legends, it was undoubtedly going to be even better than any year before.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey all. Sorry for the long wait, but I think my computer might be on its last leg or something because it's been nothing but a pain in the butt for the last couple of weeks. Then on top of that I got a lovely sinus infection that has thankfully cleared up for the most part. Life has been just awesome lately *rolls eyes*. Anyway, thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I hope you like this chapter and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

July slowly faded into August and as the sixth came to be, my entire family and all of our friends would be gathering at our house to celebrate my seventeenth birthday. That morning, I was peacefully asleep and had gone to bed with plans on sleeping in but my brothers had other plans.

A loud guitar riff woke me up so violently that my heart was racing and I sat up so quickly I was pretty sure I had whiplash. Standing at the foot of my bed with grins on their faces were all four of my brothers and Braden was holding a small radio that was playing the loud music. I blinked a few times, in stunned shock, before they started to laugh and Braden, mercifully, turned off the music.

"Happy birthday, Olivia!" all four chorused and my lips twitched with a smile before I reached behind me and threw my pillows at them. I only slept with two, so I ran out rather quickly but they didn't do any damage seeing as my reaction only made them laugh harder.

"That wasn't funny, jerks," I said, despite the smile on my face. "You scared me half to death."

"You should have seen your face," Alex said, his face flushed and I stuck my tongue out at him, but he only laughed a little more.

"Real mature, Liv," Brandon said. "Sure you're seventeen today and not seven?" he asked teasingly and I rolled my eyes. Brandon's opinion on my relationship with Andrew was murky water under an unsteady bridge, but we were able to move pass Brandon's less than thrilled opinion of Andrew and me seeing each other and return to our usual bantering relationship; for the most part anyway. "Mom's got breakfast ready and she won't let the rest of us eat and until you get your ass downstairs, now move!" Brandon said with a smile before he walked around a still chuckling Alex and lifted me from my bed with ease before he threw me over his shoulder and started out of my room.

"Brandon! Brandon put me down!" I said as I smacked at his back, really only hurting myself in the process while the rest of our brothers followed after us, still laughing at me. "It's my birthday," I said as Brandon started down the stairs. "You're supposed to be nice to me today!"

"I am being nice," Brandon said when he reached the bottom of the stairs and started for the kitchen. "I'm carrying you to breakfast," he said, "I think that is a pretty nice thing to do for you."

"Whatever," I said, giving up on trying to reason with him. It was only seconds later that I found myself flopped down into my usual chair at the table and a smiling Mom and Dad looking at me. "You didn't bring my glasses," I said as I looked up at Brandon but a chuckling Lucas held them out to me while everyone else sat down for breakfast. "Thanks," I said as I took them from him and put them on.

Mom had gone all out for my birthday breakfast and I smiled when I saw the chocolate chip waffles, blueberry pancakes, sausage, bacon, and fruit salad all spread out on the table. Every year for our birthdays, no matter if it was in the middle of the week or on the weekend, Mom made a huge breakfast with the birthday boy's, or in my case birthday girl's, favorite breakfast foods. It was something her mom used to do for her and Uncle Jason, so, she carried on the tradition. Thankfully, my birthday fell on a Saturday that year.

"Your sister first," Mom chided as she smacked Brandon's hand away from the plate of waffles and I grinned at him before taking two waffles and then two pancakes and then putting sausage and bacon on my plate. I knew the guys would touch the fruit salad, so, I didn't have to worry about that. Once Mom had her share, the boys and Dad tucked in. One second the serving plates were full and the next they were empty. However, the fruit salad remained untouched just like I knew it would.

"Thanks Mom," I said with a smile as she put the large bowl next to me and she winked at me.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," Mom said as she leaned over and kissed my cheek. I smiled at her and started to pour syrup on my pancakes and waffles. Breakfast was great and the fact that I didn't have to help clean up once everyone was finished was even better. My brothers, even Lucas, always made such a mess when they ate and it was never fun to be the one that had to clear the table.

"So, what time are Grace and the girls coming over?" Dad asked after he swallowed the bite of whatever food he had shoveled into his mouth. I looked at him as I put the syrup back down on the table and laughed.

"Don't worry, Dad, they're not coming over until three with everyone else," I said. "I talked them out of wanting to help me get dressed, so, you don't have to worry about us hogging the bathroom."

Last year, Grace and our friends, Kelly and Hailey, had insisted on helping me get ready for the party my parents were throwing. Since it was my sweet sixteen they said I needed to dress up, which meant three hours of hair fixing, makeup doing, and outfit selection before they said I was fit to be seen. This year, they were staying home until the party officially started. Dad smiled at me before he returned his attention to his breakfast like the rest of us did. After breakfast, I was going to commandeer the bathroom for a hot shower before I got myself ready for the rest of the day.

* * *

Everyone was there; Uncle Jason and Aunt Leah along with my cousins, all of my parents' friends and their families, along with all my friends. It was like the whole tribe was there, but of course they weren't. Our backyard was full with people and Dad, Uncle Jason, Jared, and Sam were at the three grills Dad had set up to cook everything and chatting about the upcoming football season while Mom, Aunt Leah, Kim, and Emily were making sure all the snacks and drinks were out as they went in and out of the house as they fixed the rest of the food for when dinner rolled around.

"I still can't believe you're dating Drew, Liv," Kelly said with a shake of her head as she looked over towards my boyfriend as he stood with his friends.

"Why do you guys still find it so hard to believe?" I asked with a laugh and they looked at me. "Am I hideous or something?" The smile on my face was wide, so, they knew I was joking, but I was serious at the same time. All of my friends found it strange that Andrew and I were dating and I hadn't the slightest clue why they found it all so odd.

"Of course not!" Grace, Kelly, and Hailey harmonized at the same time and I laughed before I took a drink of the iced tea Mom had made.

"He's just always seemed so unattainable; just like his brother," Kelly reasoned and I smiled at her as I lowered my glass.

"Plus, Melanie Blackwood's been trying to get her claws into Drew since freshman year," Hailey said pointedly, her brown eyes dancing, "and her face was green at the bonfire when you came strolling along on Drew's arm."

"I wish I had my camera then," Grace said as she shook her head with a soft sigh. "We could have hung it on her locker at Christmas time because she was doing a perfect impression of The Grinch." We laughed and the girls' laughter quieted faster than mine and it was when a pair of hands settled on my hips that I realized why.

"Hey girls," Andrew said, his breath washing over the top of my head. My friends' eyes glanced at my flushed face before smiling wide and looking up at Andrew.

"Hey Drew," they said at the same time, which made Andrew chuckle.

"Mind if I have a few minutes with my girl?" he asked. They shook their heads negatively before they laughed and left us on our own. Andrew's hands slipped away from my hips before he walked around me and stood in front of me.

"So, when did I become property?" I asked and he cocked an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked with a laugh.

"_Your_ girl," I said through a smile. "You made it sound like you tagged me after a hunting trip or something."

"Not what I meant, Liv," he said and I laughed quietly.

"I know; I'm just teasing," I said softly and he grinned.

"I wanted to give you your gift before things got too crazy," he said and my smile grew. He reached into the front pocket of the khaki shorts he was wearing and pulled out a small black velvet bag before he held it out to me.

"Would you mind?" I asked, holding up my clear plastic cup to him and he shook his head before he took it from me while I took the small bag from his hand. I untied the simple bow the red ribbon that held it shut was tied in before I opened it slightly. I dumped out the bag's contents and smiled when the silver chain and the small heart shaped locket fell into my hand. "Drew, it's beautiful," I said as I looked at it and then raised my head to look at him.

"Open it," he said with a smile and a small nod of his head. I looked back at the locket as I did what he said, and laughed quietly when I saw his smiling face looking back at me.

"It's perfect," I said as I looked up at him and he chuckled before he sat my glass down on the grass and took the locket from my hands. He walked around me and I gathered my hair and lifted it from my neck while he brought his arms around me. He secured the necklace around my neck, and his fingers lingered on the back of my neck.

"Now, you'll always have me with you," he said softly as his hands left me and settled on my hips before he turned me around to face him and moved his hands to my upper waist.

"Thank you," I said as I brought my hands up to his face and pulled his lips down to mine. I kissed him softly. "I love it," I whispered against his lips, my eyes still closed, before I kissed him again.

"Seriously, dude, you can't keep your lips to yourself for ten minutes?" came Caleb's voice and a chorus of laughter before Andrew and I pulled apart. We looked towards the voices to find both his friends and mine standing there.

"Don't be jealous, Caleb," Andrew said with a grin. I laughed along with everyone else while Caleb faked a smile and subtly flipped Andrew off. I slipped away from Andrew's arms and picked up my tea before he took my free hand as we joined our friends. It was seriously the best birthday ever.

* * *

Ever since my birthday party two weeks ago, it felt like things were falling apart and I had no idea what was going on or what I needed to do to fix things. Lucas was off at Stanford getting settled in for his first year of college, and since I knew he was busy I didn't want to bother him to talk to him about how things were going with Andrew. Brandon and Braden would just tell me to dump him and I couldn't talk to my parents because Dad would say the same thing and Mom . . . Mom would probably be helpful but she might report back to Dad and I didn't want to chance it.

Grace was no help when it came to relationship advice because she told me that since Andrew and I had been dating for two months I needed to spice things up before he got board. However, even though I knew I loved him, I wasn't so sure I was ready for _that _and that wasn't why things didn't seem right between us. He wasn't pressuring me for anything more than the hand holding, sofa cuddling, and occasional make out session; but those moments were becoming few and far between, with Andrew barely even wanting to hold my hand anymore.

It was almost like he was intentionally pulling away from me, and I was tired of analyzing everything. I needed to talk to Andrew about what was going on. I was good at confrontation when need be and sadly I did have a bit of a temper when push came to shove. I was my father's daughter after all. So, I sucked it up and decided it was time to have a little chat with Andrew.

Andrew and I hadn't talked about meeting up that Saturday, but Mom had let me borrow her car and I made the drive to his house. I climbed out of the car and walked up the porch. I knocked and waited for a few seconds before Emily came to the door.

"Hey Emily," I said as I slipped my hands into the back pockets of my jeans.

"Hi Liv," Emily said with a small smile. Honestly, she didn't look that surprised to see me, so, obviously I wasn't the only one noticing Andrew's behavior when it came to me lately.

"Is Drew home?" I asked.

"He is," she said before she opened the door a little more. "Come on in." I did as she said and took my hands out of the pockets of my jeans. "He's up in his room. You can go on up if you want."

"Thanks Emily," I said before I walked upstairs and slowly made my way to Andrew's room. His door was partly opened so I knocked and pushed it opened before I stepped inside. Andrew was lying on his bed and lowered the book he was reading to look at me with a frown.

"Liv, what are you doing here?" he asked and I sighed as I walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it while he sat up from his lounging position.

"It feels like I haven't seen you in a while," I said as I reached out and took hold of his right hand, which seemed a little bit bigger for some reason as I held it in both of my hands after pulling it to rest on my lap. "Is something wrong?" I asked and he sighed quietly as he turned his hand in mine and took hold of my left hand, his grip firm.

"No," he said as his brown eyes met my hazel, "nothing's wrong."

"You sure about that?" I asked and he sighed yet again as he ran his thumb along the back of my hand, his brown eyes sad as he looked at me. "Have I done something or are you just tired of being with me, because I can't help but feel like you're pulling away."

"Liv, it's nothing like that, I promise. You haven't done anything and I'm not tired of being with you. I just haven't been feeling that great lately," he said as he brought my hand up to his lips and kissed my wrist softly before he settled our joined hands on his lap. It was then that I realized how warm his skin was. I was used to my older brother's touch being warm, but not Andrew's and as I looked a little closer at his face I noticed how tired he looked.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I brought my right hand to the side of his face, my frown deepening. "You're burning up."

"Don't worry, Liv," he said as I pushed his hair from his eyes. "I'm fine," he assured me before he leaned into me and kissed me chastely. I didn't care if I got sick and caught whatever he had because that was the first time he had kissed me in over a week and I reveled in it. Slowly, he pulled his lips away and my hand had remained on the side of his face.

"Drew," I whispered softly and he looked at me, our eyes meeting. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" I asked him, my thumb running along his cheek. He smiled sadly and nodded before he kissed my cheek.

"Yeah," he said. I smiled at him and the look in his eyes changed to something I couldn't quite read as he sighed quietly and wrapped his right arm around me. "I love you, Liv," he said, sounding almost like the words actually made him sad and his eyes held the same emotion. I wasn't sure why he was sad at the fact that he loved me, but I figured it came out that way because he didn't feel well.

"You know, you're supposed to be happy when you say that for the first time," I said softly with a small smile as my hand moved to his hair and I played with it. He smiled slightly at me before he placed a chaste kiss on my lips. He completely wrapped me up into his arms after he pulled me onto his lap as though I weighed nothing. He held me close, his face buried in the side of my neck and I wrapped my arms around him in return as I held onto him as tight as he held onto me.

"I do love you, Liv," he said against my skin before he pressed my lips to my neck and I closed my eyes. I really hadn't expected him to tell me he loved me, but I found myself smiling as I opened my eyes.

"I love you too," I said for the first time, aloud anyway, and his arms tightened slightly around me as he seemed to bury into me even more. I closed my eyes and rested my head against his as my right hand moved to his hair. Okay, so, we hadn't had the kind of confrontation I was expecting; and Andrew ended up telling me he loved me which was really the last thing I expected him to say. In a way I was glad that we didn't fight because I didn't feel like arguing with him and part of me was at peace with his answer. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on and I didn't like it one bit.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone! Thank you for your reviews and adds! I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I'm still having computer issues and I hit a big brick wall of writers block. I knew what was going to happen in this chapter, but I was having a hard time getting it down on paper. I think it came together okay, but I'm not so sure. Please let me know what you think and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

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**Chapter 8**

The next day it was almost as if the last couple of weeks hadn't happened. Andrew and I were meeting at the diner for lunch and I was busy getting ready. Mom had taken Alex to Port Angeles for school clothes shopping, which I would be doing with her this weekend. Dad was at work and I had no idea where Brandon or Braden were, so, I had had the house to myself since after breakfast and I was enjoying the quiet.

I had already showered and was dressed with my hair up in a simple pony tail on the back of my head as I went through shoe organizer trying to find the seemingly missing right shoe of the black flats I wanted to wear with the jeans and dark green sweater I was wearing. It may have been late August, but it was chilly already and once again sweater weather. I rolled my eyes when I found my missing shoe tucked in with a pair of flip flops before I closed the container and slid it back under the bed. I slipped into my shoes before I moved over to my dresser and picked up the locket that Andrew had given me for my birthday.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror after I clasped the chain of the necklace around my neck and brushed my bangs from my eyes before I smiled slightly. I had opted to wear my contacts and, like always, I wanted to look nice when I met up with Andrew and I figured I accomplished that that morning. I grabbed my wallet and my cell phone and tucked them into my jeans pockets before I left my room and then the house, locking the door behind me.

I opted out of "borrowing" Brandon and Braden's car which was still parked along the driveway, and decided to walk to the diner. I was leaving early enough and I could use the exercise since I hadn't gone on any morning runs with my brothers lately.

* * *

I was walking along the road, heading towards the diner when I noticed Andrew down at the docks. He was leaning against the railing as he stood on one of the walking docks. I smiled slightly and headed down the path that lead to the docks and made my way to where he stood.

"Drew," I said as I got closer and Andrew straightened and turned around to face me. He smiled and I smiled back before I found myself scooped up into his arms. I laughed as I wrapped my arms around his neck and he lifted me from the dock. He chuckled before he caught my lips with his and kissed me chastely. My right hand found his hair as I sighed against his lips before he settled me back on the dock, but didn't break our kiss as he leaned down and kept his hands on my upper waist. Slowly, he broke our kiss and my hand slipped from his hair as he righted himself and my hands slid down his chest. "That was a nice hello," I said with a smile and he grinned.

"It was, wasn't it?" he asked and I laughed as I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him, my head resting on his chest. I heard him sigh softly as he wrapped his left arm around my waist and hugged me back, while his right hand went to the back of my neck. He kissed the top of my head before he rested his chin on the top of my head. "How's your day been?"

"Good, but it's even better now," I said quietly and he hummed in agreement as his left hand ran up and down my back.

"You hungry?" he asked me softly and I pulled away from him slightly. His arms left me as I stepped back and turned to look out at the ocean in front of us, my hands resting on the weathered wood of the railing.

"A little, but could we stand here for a bit?" I asked quietly before I looked at him. He smiled and nodded his head before he mirrored my stance along the railing, his body close to mine. I smiled at him and rested my head against his arm as I looked out over the horizon.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" Andrew asked me softly after a few silent minutes between the two of us. I had been looking up at the sky and the sun barely shining through the thin clouds out that day, but my head had still been resting against him. I lifted my head from his arm and turned my head up to look at him, a blush racing across my cheeks, as I laughed quietly and shook my head.

"I'm not beautiful," I said and he cocked an eyebrow as he moved and rested his weight on his left hand that was leaning on the railing. He really did tower over me now and it felt like his body encompassed mine. However, it wasn't intimidating like one would think it should be. It was actually comforting and I liked the feeling I had whenever he stood close to me like he was. "I'm not," I said lightly. "I'm cute, maybe pretty on occasion, but not beautiful."

"You are beautiful, Liv," he said. "From the inside out and that statement right there makes you even more beautiful." He raised his right hand to my face and leaned down to me. His lips barely brushed mine but he didn't get much farther than that.

"Andrew," came a deep voice and the two of us pulled apart only to turn and see DJ standing a few feet away from us, his arms over his chest. Despite the weather, he was shirtless and dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and tennis shoes.

"What do you want, DJ?" Andrew asked tightly as he straightened up and moved to stand in front of me, blocking my view of his brother; but I looked around him and saw DJ uncross his arms as he walked towards us, shaking the dock a bit as he did so.

"You weren't supposed to leave the house today," DJ said.

"So, what, did Dad send you out to track me down?" Andrew asked.

"No," DJ said, his voice even. "I was . . . out for a run when I saw you guys."

"Sure you were," Andrew said, sounding far more pissed off than he should have been.

"I was," DJ said with a smirk and I walked around Andrew to stand at his side. DJ's eyes went to me and he gave me a small smile. "Liv," he said with a slight nod of his head.

"Hi DJ," I said.

"Why don't you head on home," DJ ordered more than asked and I opened my mouth to respond, but Andrew cut me off.

"Don't tell her what to do," Andrew said as he took a step towards his brother and DJ raised an eyebrow while I reached out and took hold of Andrew's right forearm. However, he just shook my hands off and walked over to his brother before he shoved DJ's chest, surprisingly making DJ stumble back a bit. "Just get the hell out of here."

"Relax, little brother," DJ said as he held up his hands and glanced at me quickly before he returned his eyes to Andrew.

"You know, I'm sick and tired of you and Dad telling me what do," Andrew said. "You're not going to tell Liv what to do."

"Drew, it's okay," I said, but he didn't pay any attention to me. He just reared back and punched DJ hard in the face, actually knocking DJ down onto the dock. I gasped and ran over to Andrew and took hold of his arm again.

"What the hell is going on?" came a voice I knew well. It was Dad, but I kept my attention on Andrew.

"Drew, you need to calm down. You're blowing this way out of proportion," I shouted as I gripped his trembling arm, but Drew shoved me off of him. He shoved me so hard I fell back. I slipped on the damp dock and went over the railing of the dock and into the chilly water, hitting my head on the edge of the dock as I went.

I gasped as I broke the surface of the water, the pain in my head making the world around me a little fuzzy as I looked up to see DJ at the edge of the dock, relief filling his face before worry settled in his eyes as he held out a hand to me. I reached out with my right hand and weakly took hold of DJ's warm hand before he enclosed my hand in his and pulled me out of the water with ease.

"Liv, are you okay?" DJ asked as he settled me on the dock. I nodded and tried to sit up only to have the world spin and I fell back against DJ. "Whoa," he said softly as he tightened his hold on me. I closed my eyes and sighed heavily. I felt like I was going to throw up and even with my eyes closed everything felt like it was still spinning.

"I feel sick," I said softly as I laid my head against his warm chest and the next thing I knew DJ had picked me up bridal style. I kept my eyes closed and my head against DJ's body as he carried me.

"Is she okay?" I heard someone ask, I recognized Brandon's voice.

"No," DJ said quickly. "You got your truck? You need to get her to the hospital."

"Yeah," Brandon bit out and DJ's pace quickened. "I'm going to fucking kill him."

"He didn't mean it," I said weakly as I opened my eyes and saw my brother walking beside DJ. Brandon looked at me, a scowl on his face.

"I don't give a shit," Brandon said. He tended to swear when he was seriously pissed off. "The next time I see him, his ass is mine."

"Brandon, I'm okay," I said.

"The fuck you are," Brandon said as he opened the front passenger door of his truck so violently, I thought he was going to tear the door from the hinges. "You're bleeding from the side of your head and you can't even sit up." I didn't know I was bleeding, but the fact that it felt like there was a jackhammer pounding on the side of my skull, I shouldn't have been surprised. DJ settled me in the seat and even put my seatbelt on me.

"Here," DJ said softly as he pulled a cloth from somewhere and pressed it to the right side of my head. I winced and hissed softly. "Just hold that there, okay?" he asked and I nodded slightly as I put my hand on the cloth, holding it to the side of my head while DJ moved away and Brandon closed the door. I sighed and closed my eyes as I tried to push away the nausea I was feeling.

"You keep your brother away from my sister, DJ," I heard Brandon's muffled voice say.

"Like I haven't tried to before," DJ said back, "and besides, after today I don't think we'll have to worry about him disobeying Dad again." I didn't even have the energy to try and figure out what that was supposed to mean.

"Yeah, well, like I said," Brandon said, "next time I see him, he's mine; and you can tell him I said that."

"Whatever, Brandon, just get Liv to the hospital," DJ said and seconds later Brandon was in the truck and speeding down the road. We didn't say anything to each other as he drove and I couldn't get my mind off Andrew. I didn't know why DJ showing up made him so angry, and I was more concerned about him than I was about myself. I was going to be fine, but if Brandon made good on his word, I wasn't so sure that Andrew was going to be.

* * *

For a little over a week after the whole dock incident, I had tried to call Andrew. However, my calls all went straight into his voicemail and I gave up after leaving my twelfth message. Brandon and Braden were MIA, but when I asked Mom and Dad just told me that they were working; which made no sense since Dad was home. However, I knew why Dad was home. He barely let me out of his sight the first two days, only leaving me on my own when I was in the bathroom or my bedroom. It wasn't until Mom told him that I wasn't going to disappear that he finally went back to work and stopped hovering.

I had suffered a mild concussion and it had taken three small stitches to seal the cut on the right side of my head, just at my hairline. When I got home from the hospital, Mom and Alex were already home but Dad and Braden weren't. Brandon left shortly after he made sure I was in Mom's capable hands. Mom immediately started fussing over me the second I was in the door. Even Alex seemed concerned and was helping Mom get me settled in my room. I tried to tell them I was fine, and that they didn't need to fuss, but they ignored me.

For once I had to the house to myself. Dad was at work and Mom had gone to the grocery store, with Alex in tow. Since I finally had a few minutes to myself for the first time in a week, I decided to actually call the Uley house to see if I could talk to Andrew. I wanted to find out if he was okay and to tell him that I was fine and that I wasn't angry with him for what happened. So, I dialed the familiar number and waited.

"Hello," came Emily's voice after the fourth ring and I plastered on a smile.

"Hi, Emily, it's Liv," I said.

"Oh, hi, Liv," Emily said lightly.

"Is Drew around?" I asked and I heard Emily sigh heavily.

"He is, but I'm afraid he can't talk right now," Emily said.

"Please could I talk to him, Emily?" I asked. "I really need to talk to him and it'll only take a minute." It felt like an eternity before I heard her sigh once more.

"Okay, but only for a minute," Emily said.

"Thank you," I said and I heard shuffling on the other end and muffled voices before I finally heard his voice.

"Liv, I'm so, _so_, sorry," Andrew said gently, sounding as if he was struggling to speak to me.

"Don't be," I said. "Drew, I'm fine. I really am."

"I can't see you anymore, Liv," he said after several quiet seconds.

"What?" I asked; my heart feeling like it fell to my feet as I stood in the kitchen.

"I can't see you anymore," he said again.

"Are you kidding?" I asked, not really believing that I had heard him right.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

"Drew, what happened was a freak thing," I said. "You were pissed at your brother and I should have known better than to get in the middle of it. You don't have to break up with me because of what happened."

"I'm not breaking up with you because of that, Liv," he said.

"Then what is it?" I asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because this isn't going to work," he said. "I shouldn't have things get that far on Saturday. I should have just took your hand and walked away. Because of me you got hurt, and I don't want anything like that to happen again."

"Drew, it's not going to happen again," I said, my voice shaking as I fought back the tears that filled my eyes.

"You're right," he said. "It's not going to happen again because we're not going to see each other anymore." It sounded like the words actually pained him to say, and I didn't want to believe them because of that.

"Drew, please don't do this," I said as a few tears rolled down my cheeks.

"I have to," he said.

"Did I do something?" I asked. "Did I do something wrong to make you want to end this?"

"No," he said sternly. "You didn't do anything and I never said I _wanted_ to end it, Liv."

"Then why are you?" I asked, my voice raising and echoing off the walls of the kitchen.

"Because I have to," he said. "I can't hurt you anymore than I already have."

"And ending things like this isn't going to hurt me?" I asked.

"I'm sorry," he said yet again and I rolled my eyes.

"Sure you are. Did you even mean it when said you loved me?" I asked bitterly.

"I wouldn't have said it, Liv, if I didn't mean it," he said lowly.

"Forgive me if I don't believe you," I said. "Was this all some kind of joke?"

"No," he said tightly and I laughed sarcastically as I wiped at my face with my free hand, but the tears refused to stop falling.

"Whatever," I said. "I thought my dad and my brothers were wrong about you, Drew, but they weren't. Goodbye." I hung up the phone and slammed the cordless receiver down onto the counter before I lowered my head and let out a soft sob.

"Liv?" came Brandon's voice and I lifted my head to see him and Braden standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"You two finally got what you wanted. Drew just broke up with me," I said through my tears and their shoulders slumped slightly as they shared a look and then looked back at me. Neither one seemed particularly surprised. "I hope both of you are happy," I said as I walked towards the doorway and shoved past them before I ran upstairs.

"Liv!" Braden yelled, but I ignored him and slammed my bedroom door shut before I threw myself on my bed and let myself cry in earnest.


	9. Chapter 9

So, I should have gone to bed like an hour ago because I have to be up at four tomorrow moring, but I started working on this chapter earlier tonight and the next thing I know I've written the whole thing. THANK YOU so much for all your reviews and messages. I'm sorry I didn't respond to everyone directly, but I hope you take such a quick update as a token of my appreciation. Thank you again and I hope you like this chapter. Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

I was pretty sure I couldn't cry anymore if I wanted to as I laid on my bed, curled up with my pillow and staring at the wall opposite my bed. I was exhausted, but I didn't fall asleep. I just laid there, my mind completely blank as I did my best to stop replaying the conversation I had had with Andrew over and over again in my head. I sniffed quietly and rubbed my eyes before I remembered I was wearing my contacts. I cursed quietly and climbed from my bed before I made my way to the bathroom. I didn't even bother to look at my reflection as I took out my contacts and put in my eye drops. I figured I looked a mess and I didn't want confirmation of it by seeing my reflection. I left the bathroom and went back into my room only to find Mom sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" she asked as she stood and the tears were back as I shook my head negatively and rushed over to her, throwing my arms around her. "Oh, Liv, it's going to be okay."

"How?" I asked through my tears. "I feel like my heart's been ripped out of my chest and stomped on." Mom sighed and tightened her hold on me as she ran her hand up and down my back.

"I know it feels like the end of the world now, sweetheart," Mom said softly, "but it'll better."

"I'm just so confused, Mom," I said. "One minute he tells me he loves me and the next he's breaking up with me." I sniffed and sighed before I pulled back from Mom and rubbed at my face once more. "Maybe Grace was right," I said softly as I turned away from her and walked over to my desk where I had sat my glasses the night before.

"What was she right about?" Mom asked as I put on my glasses and I turned back around to look at her.

"She said that I needed to . . . you know, spice things up a bit with Drew," I said. "Maybe if I would have done more, he wouldn't have broken up with me." Despite my reluctance to talk to her about some things, Mom and I were close and I knew I could talk to her about anything without her getting angry or judging me for it.

"Olivia Ann," Mom said as she closed the distance between us and put her hands on my shoulders. "Do you honestly believe that? Knowing the kind of boy Drew is, do you really think this happened because you didn't sleep with him?"

"No," I said after a few quiet minutes and Mom sighed before she lifted her hands and wiped at the tears on my cheeks.

"I promise that a few years, this heartbreak will be nothing more than a memory," Mom said and I blinked a few times as I looked up at her. "You'll see." She smiled slightly at me before she leaned into me and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Have you called Grace yet?" she asked and I shook my head. "Call her and invite her over for a sleepover. I think you could use the company." I nodded and with that Mom left me to my own devices, closing my bedroom door behind me.

Mom was right. Grace would be a good distraction, and I needed something to get my mind of Andrew, and what better way than a night in with my best friend?

* * *

Weeks had gone by and I still felt the same as I had that day Andrew broke up with me, but Andrew . . . he seemed perfectly fine. School was now well underway and as September turned into October, Andrew was acting like I didn't even exist. Grace, Kelly, and Hailey had planned on acting like a barrier between Andrew and I should he try to come up to me at school the first day, but he never even turned his head to look at me. That was a feet since there were all of sixteen people in our graduating class and everyone had the same classes.

My emotions had been a rollercoaster ride since our conversation on the phone. For the first week, I'd been a blubbering mess. Grace did her best friend duty by bringing over chocolate and a variety of ice cream flavors before we settled into a horror movie fest for two days. Sappy love movies weren't exactly what one wanted to watch when you just had your heart broken into a million pieces. They only reminded you of what you didn't have any more. At least that's what Grace said, and Grace would know better than I did.

The second week I had been angry, and vowed to tell him off the first day I saw him at school. However, when that day came I didn't do as planned. He had walked right by me with Caleb at his side as I stood at my locker, and he acted as if I wasn't even there. He looked different too, and not in the bad way like I felt I did. He looked better than he had the last time I saw and, truthfully, that hurt more than his words when he broke up with me and my anger turned into sadness yet again.

"Liv," Grace said softly as we sat in the cafeteria and I turned my head to look at her. "You're going to burn a hole in the back of his head if you keep staring at him." I realized then that I had been staring at Andrew for what was probably the millionth time in the last few weeks and I blushed lightly before I sighed and looked down at my still untouched lunch. One good thing about this whole break up, I had lost about fifteen pounds since food wasn't very appealing anymore. Thankfully it was Friday, so, I wouldn't have to be around Andrew for two whole days.

"Seriously, Liv, it's been almost six weeks," Kelly said and I looked at her. "If he can just drop you like he did, he's not worth moping over."

"Yeah," Hailey said in agreement and I looked between my friends before I shook my head.

"You know what you need to do?" Kelly asked. "You need to get angry again and give him a piece of your mind. You were all ready to do that before school started and then the second you saw him, you chickened out."

"I didn't chicken out," I said with a frown.

"Yeah, you did," Kelly said with a scoff and I was suddenly pissed off at one of my best friends. "You're letting him win by acting like this. It's kind of pathetic really."

"Kelly," Grace said warningly, and I stood up so quickly, my chair toppled over causing everyone in the cafeteria to turn their eyes to me. Well, everyone but Andrew who I noticed still kept his back to me and that only fueled my anger even more.

"You think I'm pathetic? Fuck you, Kelly. I'm not lamenting the fact that I let some guy fuck me on the first date and he didn't call me afterwards like what happened to you with Kyle last year. So, when you spend more than one night with a guy you can lecture about how to act when a relationship ends," I said and Kelly glared at me. I grabbed my bag and stormed out of the cafeteria. I ran down the hall and into the bathroom where I locked myself in a stall and rested my back against the door.

I shouldn't have said what I did, but Kelly just happened to push the big read 'do not push' button and thanks to my temper I exploded on her. She probably wasn't going to speak to me again, and I regretted my words as I stood there and calmed down. Everything had just been building up and I let it out on the wrong person, and I felt terrible for talking to Kelly like that. Plus, I had said it loud enough that the entire cafeteria probably heard and I felt even worse. I sniffed softly and wiped at my eyes as a few tears fell from my eyes.

"Liv?" came Grace's voice and I sighed as I rested my head back against the stall's door.

"I'm here," I said.

"Are you okay?" Grace asked and I nodded even though she couldn't see me before I pushed away from the stall door and picked up my bag once more. I opened the stall door and saw her looking at me with concern etched across her face.

"I'm fine," I said. "Is Kelly okay? I shouldn't have said what I did to her."

"In my opinion, she was asking for it," Grace said. "She's fine; pissed, but fine."

"She'll probably stop talking to me too," I said before I moved to the sink and turned on the cold water. I splashed some cool water on my face and turned off the water with a soft sigh. Grace handed me a paper towel and I smiled at her in thanks.

"Maybe for a while, but she'll get over herself soon enough," Grace said with a smile and I laughed lightly before I nodded my head. "Are you sure okay?" Grace asked.

"Yeah," I said softly. "I'm fine, Grace."

"All right," she said. "Let's head to class." I nodded and tossed the paper towel in the trash before I followed her from the bathroom.

"I have to stop at my locker and grab my history text book," I said and Grace followed me to my locker. I sat my bag on the floor before I opened my locker. I switched out my books and as I was leaning over and zipping up my bag I heard Grace take a sharp breath. "What?" I asked as I tossed my hair from my face and looked up at her.

"How are you wearing that?" she asked and I frowned before I followed her eyes to where the heart shaped locket Andrew had gotten me for my birthday had slipped out from its hiding place underneath my sweater and hung as clear as day from my body. I sighed softly as I stood up and tucked it back into place. "I thought you threw it away," Grace said. I sighed yet again as I remembered the conversation I had had with her the night Andrew broke up with me. I had taken off the necklace and threw it in the waste basket in my room. However, when she'd gone to get sodas, I had gotten it out of the trash and tucked into my desk drawer.

"I couldn't," I said as I closed my locker and picked up my bag. "I took it out of the trash when you left the room."

"Okay, that I understand, but why are you wearing it?" Grace asked with a frown and I ran my hand through my hair.

"I don't know," I said and she sighed. She knew I was lying when I said that. I knew exactly why I was still wearing it. I loved him and I wasn't ready to let go. It was the same reason I blew up at Kelly and the same reason I stared at Andrew in the cafeteria and every chance I got. I wanted him to look at me and see with his own eyes how much I missed him. I wanted him to see just how badly I was hurting.

"You're only torturing yourself by wearing it, Liv," she said. She was right. Every day was the same. Andrew never even acknowledged my existence and it was like the entire summer had never happened; for him at least.

"I know, but I had worn it every day for almost a month before we broke up," I said. "I feel naked without it now." I reached out and took hold of her right arm, my eyes pleading with her. "Please don't tell anyone," I said and she shook her head before she twisted her arm so she could take hold of my hand and gave it a squeeze.

"You're secret's safe with me, Liv," Grace said and I smiled at her.

"Thanks Grace," I said and she smiled.

"Come on," she said as she let go of my hand. "We're going to be late." I took a deep breath and nodded my head before the two of us made our way to class.

* * *

"Hi Liv," Mom said as I walked into the kitchen after school that day and went to the fridge, where I grabbed a bottle of water. "How was school?"

"Same as yesterday only now Kelly's not talking to me," I said as I sat down on a stool at the island in the kitchen and Mom looked up from the vegetables she was cutting and at me.

"Why isn't Kelly talking to you?" Mom asked with a small frown on her face.

"I may have blown up at her at lunch called her out on lack of relationship experience after she told me I was being pathetic," I said and Mom's frown deepened as she sat her knife down on the counter.

"Why did she call you pathetic?" Mom asked.

"Because she said I'm moping after Drew," I said before I opened my bottled water and took a drink.

"You're not pathetic, Liv, but she's right," Mom said and I sighed softly as I nodded my head as Mom returned to cutting up the carrots and various other vegetables she had spread out on her cutting board.

"I know," I said weakly before I sat back a bit and took another drink of my water. "So," I said after I swallowed, "where's Alex?" A subject change was desperately needed and thankfully, Mom granted it.

"At Jared and Kim's," Mom said. "He's sleeping over with Calvin and their friends."

"Poor Kim," I said, "a house full of thirteen year old boys. I do not envy her."

"Tell me about it," Mom said and I laughed quietly.

"What's for dinner?" I asked.

"Beef stew and butter rolls," she said.

"Dad's favorite," I said with a grin. "What'd you buy or what do you want to buy?" Mom scoffed as she looked up at me and threw a piece of sliced carrot in at me, which I dodged easily as I laughed.

"Nothing," she said pointedly. "Go do your homework."

"It's Friday," I said. "Homework is for Sundays." I took another drink of my water before I smiled at her and put the cap back on. I hopped off the stool and went over to the sink where I washed my hands.

"What are you doing?" Mom asked as she looked over her shoulder and I dried my hands and bumped her hip after I came to a stop at the island with her.

"Helping you with dinner," I said and she smiled before she handed over the knife and I took her place at the cutting board. Mom moved to the stove and started searing the cubed beef she had out and I finished cutting up the vegetables.

It was long before Mom had the stew simmering and we were busy making the rolls. We were covered in flour and laughing as we put the pans filled with the dough to rise with towels covering them when Dad, Brandon, and Braden walked into the kitchen, small smiles on their faces.

"What?" I asked as I looked at them and wiped my hands on my jeans.

"It's been a while since we heard you laugh, Liv," Braden said. "It's nice." I forced a smile before I looked at Mom.

"Is it okay if I go clean up?" I asked and she nodded.

"Go on, you're father can help me clean up this mess," she said with a smile and I nodded before I walked by my brothers and Dad before I went upstairs. Maybe I wasn't completely broken, but I still didn't feel like myself and until I resolved everything with Andrew, I had a feeling I wouldn't start to feel like myself. As I stood in the bathroom and started to clean up, I looked at my reflection and sighed.

That night, I was going to get the closure with Andrew that I needed. I knew where I could find him. He'd be at the beach with his brother and my brothers along with the rest of their friends; and I was going to take a drive after dinner. That night was going to be my first step to moving on.

* * *

After sweet talking Dad into letting me borrow his truck, I made my way down to the beach and parked Dad's truck next to Brandon's. Sure enough the band of guys were all down on the beach, all dressed only in shorts and laughing as they sat around a burning fire. I took a deep breath to gather my courage and charged towards the group. They all heard me coming because Brandon and Braden stood up and met me as I was closing in.

"Liv, what the hell are you doing here?" Brandon asked as he and Braden blocked my path.

"I need to talk to Drew," I said.

"You're not supposed to be here," Braden said and I looked up at him.

"Does it look like I care?" I asked before I stalked past them and evaded Brandon's hand as he reached out for me. I spotted Andrew easily enough as he sat alone on a log and stared into the fire.

"Liv!" Brandon shouted.

"Let her be," DJ said loudly and Brandon practically growled behind me.

"Andrew," I said sharply. His body tensed, but he didn't look at me and he didn't say anything. "You are such an asshole," I said. "I can't . . . I don't understand why you're treating me like I don't exist." He just stared ahead at the fire and I literally stomped my foot in the sand. "Are you even fucking listening to me?" I screamed before I leaned down and shoved him. All the guys moved around us then and stood like they were ready to move in if needed.

"Damn it, Drew, look at me!" I shouted as I grabbed his head and turned his face to mine. Andrew's eyes met mine and for a second I felt frozen as his brown eyes held my hazel. His mouth fell open in surprise as his eyes danced between mine and I quickly regained my wits. "You want to act like I mean nothing to you, fine," I said as I pulled the necklace he gave me out from under my sweater. I took hold of the chain and pulled hard, breaking the chain on the back of my neck before I stood straight and threw it at him, the locket I loved so much falling in his lap. "You don't mean anything to me anymore either," I said.

"Liv," he breathed as I looked at him and I shook my head.

"Save it, Drew, because I don't want to hear it. I'm done." I turned around and started for Dad's truck.

"Olivia wait!" Andrew shouted and he grabbed hold of my arm before he spun me around to face him.

"Let go of me," I said as I pushed at him, but he didn't budge. His grip was like steel around me as he smiled down at me like a complete idiot.

"I can't believe this," he whispered as he continued to smile at me.

"Drew, let go of me now," I demanded and his hands instantly left me.

"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me," Brandon said.

"I did not see that happening," a voice I didn't recognize said as I stepped back.

"Liv, wait, please," Andrew said as he reached for me before I shook my head and took another step back.

"Just leave me alone, Drew," I said. "You've said your piece and now I've said mine. It's done."

"No, Liv, you don't understand," Andrew said but I just turned around and walked away. "Olivia!" Andrew shouted. I heard scuffling, but I kept my eyes forward and jogged the rest of the way to Dad's truck before I left the beach and sped the entire way home. I had thought I would feel better after basically telling Andrew to go screw himself, but I didn't. It didn't change anything. I actually felt worse and I didn't understand why.


	10. Chapter 10

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm glad you all liked the last chapter. I wanted to have this up on Thursday or Friday, but I didn't get it finished until now. I hope you all like it, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

I parked Dad's truck and was heading inside when Dad's voice echoed into the evening air from the house. "WHAT?" he screamed and as I stood at the base of the porch steps it was almost like he was standing right next to me his voice was so loud. I knew then that Brandon or Braden had called home because all the windows were closed and whatever they told him made him angry.

"Great," I whispered before I walked up the porch steps and went inside.

"Liv?" Mom asked as I paused at the door to slip off my tennis shoes and my jacket. I sighed softly and with jacket in hand I walked into the living room to find Dad pacing the length of the living room while Mom held the cordless phone in her hand.

"What's going on?" I asked and Dad turned around quickly.

"Up to your room and stay there until I tell you otherwise," he ordered as he pointed to the stairs.

"W-," I started, but Dad didn't let me get the three letter word of 'why' out.

"Don't question me, Olivia Ann, just do it!" Dad shouted as he lowered his hand to his side and I stiffened before I quickly did as he said. I had seen Dad mad before, hell, he'd blown a gasket when he caught Andrew and I in Port Angeles back in June, however, I had never and I mean _never_ seen him as mad as he was at that very moment.

I was actually afraid of him and literally ran to my room and closed the door. I sighed and sat my jacket on the back of my desk chair before I sat down on my bed and ran my hand through my hair. I had no idea why Dad was so angry. I thought he would be happy that I told Andrew off, but his reaction was exactly the opposite of what I was expecting. I could hear them talking downstairs, but with my door closed I couldn't make out what they were saying. My curiosity got the better of me and quietly, I made my way into the hallway. I stood at the top of the stairs, where I knew they couldn't see me, and listened.

"We can't keep this from her anymore, Paul," Mom said, sounding tired. "We shouldn't have kept it from her in the first place. You knew this was a possibility."

"Harper, how the hell was I supposed to know that she would be an imprint?" Dad asked, his voice tight, and I frowned. I had no idea what an 'imprint' was, but whatever it was I apparently was one.

"I said it was a possibility, Paul, I didn't say it was going to happen," Mom said, her voice suddenly sharp. "We should have told her that the legends were real when Brandon and Braden started to change."

"She never needed to know," Dad said, his voice still tight.

"Well she does now," Mom said. "We have to tell her."

"How?" Dad asked.

"I don't know," Mom said and I pushed myself up from the wall before I walked down the stairs. As I reached the bottom, both Mom and Dad were looking at me.

"I thought I told you to stay in your room," Dad said and I sighed as I remained standing in the foyer.

"I know you did, but I want to know what has you so upset," I said. "I thought you of all people would be doing a little happy dance at the fact that I severed all ties with Drew." Dad sighed and put his hands on his waist as he looked down at the carpet. I looked from him and at Mom, who had raised her left hand to gently rest on Dad's upper arm. "What aren't you guys telling me?" I asked as I looked between them and both of them turned and lifted their heads to look at me at the same time.

"I should have known she was listening," Dad said softly as he turned his head to look at Mom and Mom gave him a soft smile as she lowered her hand from his arm.

"Guys, what's going?" I asked, but before either one could answer the front door opened and Brandon practically stomped inside. His short hair was disheveled and he was breathing slightly heavily as he stood, barefoot, in the foyer.

"He's outside with Braden," Brandon said and I frowned.

"Who?" I asked and Brandon looked at me.

"Give you one guess," he said and I sighed.

"I'll go talk to him," Dad said, but Mom stopped him.

"No," Mom said and we all looked at her. "Liv should go and talk to him."

"What?" Dad, Brandon, and I chorused.

"Harper, you can't be serious," Dad said and Mom gave him a look.

"I am," Mom said before she looked at me. I was pretty sure my expression was rather comical given that my mouth was open and my eyebrows were raised as I looked at her, however, Mom didn't smile. Her face was dead serious. "Go out and talk to him, Olivia."

"I don't want to talk to him," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You had no problem doing that half an hour ago," Brandon said and I glared up at him, while he smirked.

"Your mother's right, Olivia," Dad said and looked at him. "Give him five minutes."

"Fine," I said as I uncrossed my arms and headed for the front door. I paused long enough to turn on the porch light before I opened the door stepped outside onto the cool wood porch.

Braden and Andrew were both standing on the right side of the porch and both looked at me at the same time. I looked at Braden and he seemed to know what I was going to say before I said it because he sent a look to Andrew before he walked by me and into the house. Andrew sighed softly before he walked towards me. I took a step back from him as he reached out for me and shook my head. He looked hurt that I pulled away, but I didn't care. If he felt anything like I'd been feeling the last few weeks, he deserved it.

"What do you want?" I asked him.

"I need to talk to you," he said. His voice was low as his brown eyes bore down on me. His eyes were just like I remembered them; warm and soft; but as he looked at me there was something in his eyes that was different. There was almost a desperation in his eyes as he looked at me, but I wasn't going to cave easily. I was going to hold my ground. I didn't want to get hurt again, and I wasn't going to give in to whatever charm he tried to lay out.

"You've got five minutes, Drew," I said as I wrapped my arms around my stomach and shivered a bit. I should have grabbed my jacket and my shoes before I came outside. It wasn't exactly t-shirt, jeans, and socks weather. Although my brothers and Andrew seemed to have no problem wearing only shorts. It was common for my brothers, but not for Andrew . . . at least not until recently.

"Five minutes isn't nearly enough," he said as he clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides while he stared at me.

"Well, it's what I'm giving you," I said before my shivering became more noticeable, and he sighed heavily before in the blink of an eye he closed the distance between us and wrapped me up in his arms. "What are you doing?" I asked, my body stiffening as I tilted my head back to look up at him.

"You're freezing," he reasoned as his warmth washed over me and I swallowed hard as I looked up at him, but I didn't move away. He was crazy warm like my older brothers, and was welcoming against the cold night air. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't say anything else.

"That's it?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know what else to say, Liv," he said and I pushed away from him and took a few steps back as I shook my head, my body instantly regretting it as the cold air assaulted me yet again.

"You think you can just tell me you're sorry and I'll forgive you?" I asked. "Do you have any idea how much you hurt me?" I asked him as I raised my right hand to my chest and he winced slightly as he looked down at the porch floor before he lifted his head again, his brown eyes meeting my hazel under the yellow glow of the porch light.

"You weren't the only one that was hurting, Liv," he said.

"Really? Because it seemed like you didn't have a care in the world, Andrew. Hell, you got yourself a makeover," I said, referring to his shorter hair and beefed up body. I adjusted my glasses on my face before I crossed my arms over my chest once again to ward off the chill of the night air. "You wouldn't even look at me. You acted like I didn't exist and that hurt more than anything, Andrew."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Yeah, you said that already," I said with a scoff before I turned away from him and let out yet another sigh as I closed my eyes for a second and slowly opened them. I felt his body heat against my back before his hands wrapped around my upper arms.

"I know I've been an ass, Liv," he said softly, "but I'm not above begging you to forgive me. I'll do anything, to get you back, Liv. If I would have known that I had nothing to worry about, I would have never ended things like I did and it would have saved us both a lot of heartache."

"What does that mean?" I asked a slight frown marring my face as I looked out towards the woods that boarded our yard.

"You know our legends that you love so much, Liv?" he asked. My frowned deepened as I nodded my head, but kept my back to him as his thumbs made small circles on my arms. He moved even closer to me, my back resting lightly against his chest and stomach. "They're -," he started to say, but he didn't get to finish.

"Drew, I think it's time you go home," came Dad's voice and Andrew sighed heavily as his hands tightened slightly on my arms.

"Okay," he said, his voice sounding turned away from me before he leaned down so his lips were near my ear. "Meet me at the cliffs tomorrow morning," he whispered. "I'll explain everything." I nodded slightly and Andrew left, jogging down our driveway and disappearing into the darkness when he reached the road.

"Liv, come inside," Dad said and I sighed before I turned and went back into the house. Mom and Dad were keeping something from me and Andrew was suddenly talking to me again. I was beyond confused and suddenly very exhausted.

"I'm going to head up to bed," I said as I glanced at my family and started for the stairs.

"It's barely ten o'clock, Liv," Brandon said and I stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned to look at him.

"It's been a long day," I said, "and I'm tired."

"Get some rest, sweetheart," Mom said. "We'll see you in the morning."

"Good night," I said before I turned around and jogged up the stairs before I went into the bathroom. I took my glasses off and rested them on the counter before I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I grabbed my glasses from the counter and made my way into my bedroom. It was surprisingly quiet downstairs, but I just went into my room and closed the door before I sat my glasses down on my nightstand.

I threw my hair up into ponytail before I changed into my pajamas consisting of white and baby blue flannel bottoms and a baby blue tank top. I turned off the lights and crawled into bed. I wrapped my arms around my pillow and closed my eyes. However, my mind refused to rest. I sighed softly and rolled over so I was lying on my back looking up at the ceiling.

I thought about what I had overheard Mom and Dad talk about and what Andrew had started to tell me before Dad interrupted. As I laid there, I frowned slightly as the small pieces slowly started to fall together. I gasped quietly and sat up, my heart pounding hard in my chest as I finally realized what I should have _years_ ago.

* * *

I had barley slept, and the second my room started to lighten as dawn drew closer, I climbed from my bed and raced to the bathroom. I showered as quickly as humanly possible, before I went through my usual routine in overdrive. My hair was still wet and dripping a bit as I tied it back and threw on my underclothes, black sweats, and gray t-shirt I had brought into the bathroom with me.

"Liv, what are you doing up so early?" asked a half asleep Braden as he stood in the hallway in his pajamas.

Now that I knew, I felt like a complete idiot for not putting two and two together in the first place. Braden, Brandon, Lucas, Dad, and practically every other guy I knew were all huge and constantly warm. They never even got sick or hurt. I was so stupid for not realizing it sooner. My whole life, it was all right in front of me. I guess you really do only see what you want and ignorance truly was bliss.

"Morning run," I said as I slipped past him and into my room.

"Since when do you shower _before_ you run?" he asked as he moved to stand in my doorway.

"I didn't sleep well, but I decided to run this morning," I said as I searched for my running shoes when they weren't in my shoe case. "I took a shower to shake off the grogginess," I said before I found my running shoes under my bed. I sat down on my bed before I brought my right leg up and quickly slipped on my shoe, tying it tight before I did the same with the left.

"Why don't you let me wake up a bit and get dressed, and I'll go with you," he said as I stood from my still unmade bed.

"I'm good on my own," I said as I grabbed a black zip up hoodie and tugged it on, zipping it up half way before I grabbed my glasses, wallet, and my iPod from my nightstand. I put on my glasses and gave him a tight lipped smile as I walked to the door.

"Liv," Braden said as I went to slip past him and he caught my arm. I turned my head to look up at him and the frown that marred his face. "Are you okay?"

"Perfectly fine," I said.

"You know you're a terrible liar," Braden said as he let go of my arm, "but I'll let it slide for now." I smiled slightly before I turned away from him and went downstairs. I paused at the door long enough to grab my house keys before I left the house and locked the door behind me.

When I returned home, I planned on having the same talk with my family that I was about to have with Andrew. I didn't know why they kept everything from me, and like I said before, I felt like an idiot for not realizing it before. I put in my ear buds and hit 'shuffle' on my iPod before I tucked it into the right pocket of my hoodie while I put my keys and my wallet in the other. I needed to run off some steam before I met up with Andrew that morning because it was all going to be laid out on the table and I didn't want my temper getting the better of me.

* * *

It was just a few minutes past ten when I made my way up to the cliff that Andrew and I had jumped from back in June. After my run, I went to the diner for some breakfast and about six cups of coffee. When I reached the cliffs, I turned off my iPod and pulled the ear buds from my ears before I tucked the cord into my pocket. Clouds were rolling in and a storm was obviously on the way. I was cursing myself for not dressing warmer as the cold wind felt like it went straight through my body. I sighed heavily as I looked out over the water and sent a silent prayer that the rain would wait until I got home to fall.

"Hey," Andrew's voice came from behind me and I turned around to look at him. Dressed in only jean cut offs, he walked from the tree line and towards me. He didn't even have shoes on, and much like Brandon, Braden, and Lucas he was unaffected by the cold morning air. "How long have you been here?" he asked as he looked me over.

"Not long," I said as my hands fell to my sides. "Look, Drew, I'm just going to get straight to the point," I said and he simply blinked at me before I continued, "I know."

"You know?" he asked with raised eyebrows as he walked a little closer to me. "Did your parents finally tell you?"

"No," I said as he came to a stop less than three feet from me. "I didn't sleep last night because I was too busy putting everything together. The legends are real. They're not just stories and you, my brothers, and a handful of others are 'wolf warriors.'"

"I can't say I'm surprised that you figured it out," Andrew said softly before he ran his hand through his shortened hair and looked down at the ground. Slowly, his eyes came back to my face and he sighed quietly when he obviously saw my hurt expression.

"After _everything_ we went through this summer, Drew, why didn't you tell me?" I asked. He sighed softly as he closed the distance between us and went to reach for me, but I took a small step back and shook my head. "Don't, Drew," I said. "Don't touch me, just talk to me."

"I couldn't tell you, Liv," Andrew said as he lowered his hands to his sides and clenched them into fists.

"Why?" I asked.

"Pack order," Andrew said, his voice heavy.

"Oh," I said softly as I looked down at the grass at our feet. "So, was it a pack order for you to avoid me like the plague?" I asked after returning my eyes to his.

"No," he said as he shook his head. "I avoided you like the plague, because I didn't want to look in your eyes for it not to happen."

"What are you talking about, Drew?" I asked as he moved even closer and the look in his eyes kept me rooted where I stood.

"You figured out the whole shape shifter thing, but nothing else?" he asked, his familiar crooked smile once again appearing on his lips. "You're my Third Wife, Liv."

"Come again?" I asked with raised eyebrows. I had to have heard him wrong, but I knew I didn't and he knew I knew exactly what he meant. Of all the things he could say to me, he tells me that I'm basically his soul mate. I wanted to believe him, but I didn't let myself believe him.

He smiled softly at me before he raised his hands to my face and brought his lips to mine, capturing them in a heated kiss. For a second, I let myself give in to his kiss. The sensations that shot through me as he kissed me were like nothing I had ever experienced before, and I never wanted to stop kissing him. However, slowly he pulled his lips away and pressed his forehead against mine.

"You're serious?" I asked, my eyes still closed as I let him continue to hold me.

"As a heart attack," he whispered back before I opened my eyes and pulled my head back from his. He looked down at me and I looked up at him. It had taken all of fifteen minutes for our conversation to take a sharp left turn I was not expecting, and for the first time in my life I had no idea what to say.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey everyone! THANK YOU so much for all of your reviews for the last chapter. I'm sorry if I didn't respond directly. I've had a crazy (in a good way) week. So much so that I actually hand wrote this chapter in a notebook before I sat down and typed it all out tonight. I hope you like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

I had sat down on one of the few large rocks that rested atop the cliff and looked back out over the water. Andrew was seated just behind me, his left arm gently pressed against my back while silence enveloped us. He'd just told me _everything_ and I was doing my best to wrap my head around the whole thing.

Apparently he knew that his 'transformation' was inevitable given that DJ had changed around the same age, and unlike my parents, his didn't keep him in the dark. Even Sadie knew about 'the pack' and the small 'band of brothers' that made up the reservations 'protectors.' That little fact only made me pissed off at my parents for not telling me the truth, and hurt that my brothers, even Lucas, kept it from me. I had thought Lucas and I told each other everything, but I'd been wrong and I planned a long phone conversation with my brother sooner rather than later.

"Liv, are you going to say anything?" Andrew asked, his voice low and soft.

"I don't know _what_ to say, Drew," I said as I shook my head slightly and kept my eyes out over the water and the darkening sky. "You knew this was going to happen, and I'm going to hazard a guess the reason why our families were so against us seeing each other in the beginning was because you were going to change."

"Yeah," Andrew said, his voice still quiet, "but there was more to it than that."

"What?" I asked.

"Will you look at me, Liv? I don't like talking to the back of your head," he said and I sighed quietly as I closed my eyes.

"I don't want to look at you right now," I said before I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. He was silent for a beat before I heard him sigh and then felt him shift in his seat.

"Okay," he said gently. "The main reason why everyone flipped out when we started seeing each other is because they didn't want what happened to Leah to happen to you." I frowned and shook my head slightly in confusion.

"My Aunt Leah?" I asked through my frown.

"Yeah," he said and before I could stop myself I turned in my seat and looked up at Andrew's face. Even sitting he was taller than me now, which was weird.

"What happened to Aunt Leah?" I asked.

"When Dad was nineteen, he and Leah were practically engaged," Andrew said and my eyebrows rose in surprise. "Yeah, I know, hard for me to imagine too," he said with a light chuckle and I smiled slightly at him, which made a smile light up his face before he cleared his throat and looked away from me for a second before his brown eyes returned to my hazel. "Anyway, Dad was the first to go through the change in two generations. He was just learning ropes. Then my mom came to visit Leah one day and all it took was one look at her and Dad imprinted on her."

"Oh," I said softly as I looked away from him and at my hands where I nervously picked at my nails.

"Needless to say Dad ended things with Leah and Mom confronted him about it. Since Dad wasn't exactly as good as controlling himself back then, he got so angry that he phased while Mom was yelling at him; and she was standing a little too close when it happened."

"So it wasn't a bear that caused the scars on Emily's face and arm," I said, glancing at him, and he shook his head negatively.

"No, and it still kills Dad to this day that he did that to her," Andrew said and I nodded in understanding. I had noticed growing up that Sam always made it a point to kiss his wife's scarred right cheek before he'd press his lips to hers when he thought no one was watching. "Leah had so much rage and bitterness in her for a long time. She hated Dad and Mom for a long time, at least until she met Jason," Andrew said.

"I could understand why," I said as I turned my head to fully look at him. "The guy you think you're going to marry suddenly breaks up with you for your cousin. That does have to sting a bit."

"Yeah," Andrew said softly.

"So, they were all worried that if you got too involved with me that you'd do the same thing," I said and he nodded.

"It wasn't until after I phased that I really understood where they were coming from," he admitted before he reached out and encased my right hand in his much larger left. "We'd known each other our whole lives, Liv, and I had liked you for so long before we finally started seeing each other. I had it in my head that I didn't care what happened when I phased for the first time. I just wanted to be with you and that was all that mattered."

"What changed?" I asked him and he let out a bitter laugh as he ran his thumb over the back of my hand.

"I did," he said as he shook his head slightly and turned his head away from me, looking straight out at the cliffs. "The pack has a telepathic link and we can hear each other's thoughts and see each other's memories. That day at the dock was the first time I phased," he said. "Your dad and Jared just happened to be at the diner when they heard DJ and me arguing. They had no more gotten me into the woods when I blew up into a giant wolf." He sighed heavily and ran his hand through his shortened hair before he ran his hand down his face, closed his eyes, and made a pained face.

"Your dad took the liberty of showing me what I'd just done to you and then he showed me what he remembered from when Sam ended things with Leah. I didn't want to do that to you, Liv."

"But you did it to me anyway," I said and he sighed heavily as he opened his eyes and looked at me.

"I know," he said," and it was all for nothing. The moment you turned my face to yours and our eyes met, that was it. You're my world, Liv, and always will be." He started to lean into me, but I pulled my hand from his and stood before I took a few steps away from him, and turned around to look at him. I clenched my hands at my sides as I shook my head and looked at him.

"I can't do this, Drew," I said and he frowned.

"Can't do what?" he asked.

"I can't . . . I can't just act like the last six weeks didn't happen," I said, tears lining my eyes for what felt like the billionth time. I seriously hated that I seemed to be so weak. If it wasn't my temper getting the better of me, it was tears; and it ticked me off to no end.

"Liv, I'm not asking you to," he said quickly as he stood. Thunder rolled from the clouds overhead, but both Andrew I kept our eyes on each other.

"Then what do you expect me to do?" I asked weakly, a night without sleep and exhaustion from my run nonstop brain activity was finally catching up with me.

"I don't expect you to do anything," he said as he slowly walked over to me and wrapped his hands around my upper arms as he looked down at me and I looked up at him. "I _hope_ you can forgive me, and that we can move forward together. I love you, Olivia, and I'm going to do everything I can to make up for what I did." I blinked slowly and a few unwanted tears rolled down my cheeks. Andrew raised both of his hands to my face and took my head in his hands and wiped away my tears with his thumbs. "Can you forgive me?" he asked me softly as I stared up into his eyes.

His big beautiful brown eyes that I had gotten lost in countless times over the summer, and as I looked into those eyes my entire body felt like it was on fire. It tingled everywhere and for the first time in weeks, I truly felt alive. I understood why he did what he did and even though he could have gone about it differently, I couldn't be mad at him for it. Sure, I was hurt, but I loved him and the way he was looking at me only solidified what I already knew. He really did love me and was willing to do anything to make things right again.

"Yes," I whispered, finally answering his question after several silence filled seconds. The worry lines left his face as Andrew smiled brightly at me before he slowly leaned down to me and pressed his lips to mine.

A few more tears rolled down my cheeks as I kissed him back and slid my hands up his warm chest and around his neck while his hands left my face and settled around my waist before he lifted me from the ground. Out kiss didn't break, it deepened, as he righted his body and I wrapped my legs around him while his hands moved to the back of my thighs to hold me in place while we kissed heatedly.

It started to rain then, more like downpour really, as we stood there basically making out and after a few more seconds, I slowly pulled my lips from his. I moved my head back slightly and opened my eyes, a small smile on my face as thunder roared above us. Andrew smiled back at me as he continued to hold me and the two of us caught our breath. The rain was cold, but wrapped around Andrew I didn't feel it as much.

"We should get inside," he said loudly over the loud noise of the rain and I chuckled.

"There's no 'inside' to get out here," I said, "and unless you drove, which I don't think you did, it's going to take a while to get anywhere."

"I know a faster way, but you're going to have to hang on," he said and I frowned before he untangled me from around him and settled me down onto the wet ground. He winked at me before he turned away, but I quickly reached out and took his hand.

"Where are you going?" I asked him and he turned to look at me.

"Just inside the trees," he said. "I'm going to phase and when I come out, I want you to climb on my back. I'll take us to my place and you can head inside while I change back."

"O-okay," I stumbled and he smiled.

"Don't worry, Liv," he said before he leaned down and kissed my right temple as I let go of his hand. "I won't bite." With that he jogged to the trees and I started shivering from the cold now that he wasn't there to keep me warm.

The rain was like ice hitting my skin, but I didn't focus on that for long because suddenly a small horse sized gray and black wolf made its way out of the trees and towards me. Even though I was freezing, I found myself smiling as my eyes met the wolf's and it was easy for me to see Andrew through all that fur. I swore he smiled back before he quickened his pace and trotted over to me.

His stomach, legs, face, and the tip of his dark gray and his ears, back of his head, back , and part of his tail was black; and he was absolutely beautiful. He stopped in front of me and laid down. Quickly, I moved over to him and climbed onto his back like I was about to ride a horse and took a deep breath. He stood up and I leaned forward letting out a squeak as I pressed my chest and the side of my head against his as I grabbed hold of his fur so I wouldn't fall. He made a worried noise and I laughed quietly.

"I'm okay. Let's go. It's freezing out here," I said into his fur. Andrew took off running then and I held on for dear life with my eyes closed tight. After only seconds, the rain wasn't hitting me as hard so I knew we'd gone into the trees but I didn't dare open my eyes. I got queasy on carnival rides and my stomach already felt like it was in my throat with my eyes closed as he ran.

The next thing I knew, he was slowing down gradually and only when he finally came to a stop did I open my eyes. We were under the cover of the thick trees and I sat up as Andrew laid down for me to climb off his back. I did so, landing on my shaking legs, before he quickly stood and turned so he was looking at me. He whined a bit when I swayed on my feet, but I laughed quietly and shook my head.

"Don't worry, mutt, I'm fine," I said through a smile and a playful growl escaped him before he turned his head and licked my face, jostling my glasses. "Ew. Thanks, but I really prefer your human kisses," I said as I laughed and wiped his spit from my already wet face and he ruffed out a laugh. "Will your parents mind me being here?" I asked as I looked towards the yellow house and then back at Andrew. He shook his head negatively before he nudged me towards the house with his muzzle. "Okay, I'm going," I said with a smile before I jogged from the trees to the covered porch. I looked back towards the trees and saw movement in the shadows, but the front door opened drawing my eyes away from the trees.

"Liv!" Emily's voice rang out through the noise of the rain and I turned to look at her. "Goodness gracious you're soaked clean through," she said before she quickly pulled me into the warm house that smelled like her famous extra large muffins. "What on Earth are you doing out in this weather?"

"I-," I started as I slipped off my tennis shoes by the door so I would track mud inside, but I didn't' get to finish because Emily pulled me along and up the stairs as she continued to talk.

"You're not even dressed for the rain and you go walking in it," Emily said as she shook her head and practically shoved me in the bathroom. "You're going to catch a cold if you stay in those wet clothes. "She opened the linen closet and pulled out a large fluffy cream colored towel before she handed it to me. "Dry yourself off while I find you some things to change into." She closed the bathroom door and I looked at the wood for a second, blinking at how fast Emily had just moved and spoke before I shook my head and sat the towel down on the bathroom counter.

I took off my glasses and pulled my hair free from the ponytail it was in before I placed both items on the counter and dried my face and hair. A quiet knock sounded on the door and Emily opened it.

"Sadie took most of her things with her, but these sweatpants of hers should fit you and I grabbed one of Drew's old sweatshirts that don't fit him anymore," she said. "When you're changed, bring your clothes down and I'll throw them in the dryer."

"Okay," I said as I took the clothes from her and with that Emily was gone and I was left on my own. I looked at my reflection and laughed. "And I thought my mom was bossy," I said before I shook my head again and quickly undressed and dried off. My underwear and sports bra were a bit damp, but I wasn't about to take them off so I left them on as I pulled on the sweatpants and sweatshirt. I redid my ponytail and put my glasses back on.

I put the towel in the hamper and gathered up my own sweats, hoodie, and t-shirt in one hand and my wallet keys, and iPod in the other before I made my way downstairs. When I turned towards the dining area, Sam, Emily, and Andrew turned their heads towards me and I knew then that I'd been talked about.

"Everything's fine, dear," Emily said before she scooted over to me and took my clothes. She smiled at me before she gave me a tight half hug. I smiled and hugged her back. "I'm just going to go throw these in the dryer," she said lightly before disappearing and I looked at Andrew with a raised eyebrow. He smiled as he walked over to me and put his arm around my waist before he walked me over to the table and had me sit down before he sank into the chair next to me, his arm once against fastening itself around me. I sat my stuff down on the table and rested my hands in my lap as I crossed my legs.

"So, Drew filled you in on everything," Sam said more than asked as he sat down across from us and I nodded my head slightly.

"I figured out the big picture, he just painted in the details," I said and Sam nodded as he sat down across from us and turned his eyes to the wood of the table. "I understand now, Sam," I said after a beat of silence and Sam lifted his head to look at me.

"Understand?" he asked.

"Why you and Dad were so against Drew and I seeing each other," I said and Sam glanced at Andrew before he looked back at me.

"Oh," he said as he sat back in his chair.

"And I wanted to say thank you," I said and the shocked look on Sam's face didn't surprise me any.

"Why?" Andrew asked and I looked at him.

"Because they meant well, just like you meant well when you broke up with me," I said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to thank _you_ for doing that," I said before I turned my eyes to Sam. "You and Dad and my brothers were just trying to save me from probably what would have been a much bigger heartbreak should we have been together and he didn't imprint on me but on another girl. So, thanks," I said. Andrew's arm tightened around me as he pressed me closer to him and Sam smiled slightly and nodded his head.

"You're welcome," he said and I smiled at him as I rested my head on Andrew's shoulder.

"Okay, who wants muffins?" Emily asked as she came out of the kitchen holding a basket full of muffins, and all of us held up our hands making Emily laugh as she put the basket down on the table. Andrew handed me a blueberry muffin before he took one for himself and Emily settled in the chair next to Sam, quietly thanking him for the muffin he grabbed for her. Everyone chatted while they ate and after only a couple of bites, my body was no longer willing to cooperate. So, with my head still on Andrew's shoulder, I drifted off to sleep feeling warm and safe next to my wolf warrior.

* * *

"Liv," came a velvety voice through the fog of my sleep deprived mind as I turned further into my pillow and wrapped myself up more into the blankets surrounding me. "Come on, Liv, wake up," the same voice said, a chuckle echoing through it, before I sighed and slowly woke from the land of nothingness that I was lost to. "Evening," Andrew said as he smiled down at me and ran the back of his fingers down the side of my face.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. When I lowered my hands, I realized I was in Andrew's room and he was sitting on the edge of his bed next to me with my glasses in hand. "Thanks," I said as I took them from him and put them on.

"Well, you fell asleep around noon and it's almost seven now, so, almost seven hours," he said and I sighed.

"Sorry," I said and he shook his head.

"Don't be. You didn't' sleep the night before and you'd had a long morning," he said and I smiled at him before I reached up and fixed my hair. "Your folks and your brothers are downstairs. Mom sent me up to wake you for dinner."

"Did you tell them I know?" I asked once my hair was fixed and I lowered my hands.

"Yep," he said.

"What'd they say?" I asked and he laughed before he took hold of my hand.

"Braden said that was why you were acting so weird this morning, and the rest of them really weren't all that surprised. Once you had a few pieces, they knew you'd put it all together," he said. I nodded and sighed again as I stretched my neck a bit. "So, are you hungry?" he asked. The words no more left his mouth and my stomach growled loudly making both of us laugh.

"A bit," I said and he smiled.

"Let's go then," he said and the two of us stood from the bed. I started for the door, but Andrew's grip on my hand tightened and he stopped me. I looked up at him and he was grinning. "You like my human kisses better than my wolf kisses, huh?" he asked and I blushed lightly as our eyes met.

"Maybe," I said and he shook his head.

"No maybe about it, Liv," he said through his grin and my blush only deepened. "Truthfully, I liked kissing you as a human much better too," he said as he pulled me closer. "I like it a whole lot actually," he whispered and I smiled at him as he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine in a ghost like manner before he wrapped me up in his arms and pressed his lips firmly against mine. I couldn't hold back the soft moan from escaping my lips as my hands laced into his short hair, a low groan slipped past Andrew's lips at the sound.

"ANDREW! I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW, I'M GOING TO COME UP AND GET YOU!" boomed my father's voice from downstairs, effectively ripping us apart.

"How did . . .," I started to ask, but I now realized why Dad always knew when we were up to no good as kids. "Super hearing, right?" I asked and Andrew laughed.

"Yeah," Andrew said before he took hold of my hand again and led me from his room. It's amazing what can happen in the course of twenty-four hours, and I could only hope that the next twenty-four weren't quite as crazy.


	12. Chapter 12

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter. I hope you like this chapter. Please let me know what you think and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

To say that dinner had been completely awkward was an understatement. DJ had shown up in addition to my family and the meal had been filled with sporadic small talk and long silent stretches. The ride home in the back of Brandon and Braden's truck was just as awkward. For some reason, my parents drove separately and even though I could have road home with them, Brandon had directed me to their truck. Alex was still with his friends at Jared and Kim's, and that got me thinking yet again.

"Does Alex know about all this?" I asked out of nowhere from my seat behind Brandon who was driving and Braden turned his head to look at me, the lights from the dashboard lighting his face enough for me to see his blank expression. "He does, doesn't he?" I asked when my eyes met his and Braden sighed softly and looked away from me, his eyes glancing at Brandon. "Why did no one tell _me_?"

"It wasn't up to us, Liv," Brandon said and I scoffed.

"Bullshit," I said sharply and Brandon quickly pulled over the truck and put it in park. I took the opportunity and climbed out of the cab before I started marching down the deserted two lane road.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Brandon asked as he caught my arm and wheeled me around to face him. The headlights of the truck were on and lit up the night around us as Braden joined us in front of the truck.

"Don't touch me!" I shouted as I pushed away from him and surprisingly he let me go. "I understand why Andrew couldn't tell me, but you! Both of you!" I shouted as I looked between them. "You all lied to me! Mom, Dad, Lucas, everyone! If I would have known, nothing would have changed. Why did all of you keep this from me?"

"Dad didn't want you to know, Liv," Braden said and I frowned.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because he wanted to protect you from all of this!" Brandon shouted and I looked at him. His body was tense and his fists clenched at his sides.

"Protect me from what?" I asked.

"There's a reason the gene is still active, Liv," Braden said and I looked away from a tense Brandon to Braden who was glancing at Brandon with worried eyes before he looked back at me. "We haven't had any problems for a while, but there's always a threat. Dad figured the less you knew the better."

"How is that better?" I asked with a frown.

"Mom worries about him and about us when stuff is going down. It bothers him that she gets so upset, which is why he doesn't go out unless it's absolutely necessary. He didn't want you worry with her," Braden said.

"Is that supposed to make sense? Because it doesn't," I said, my frown deepening as I shook my head. "It sounds like a lame excuse you just made up to placate me. I already feel like a complete idiot, Braden, you don't have to rub it in anymore."

"It's the truth, Liv!" Brandon shouted; his deep voice so loud it actually made me jump as I turned to look at him. Braden reached out and put his hand on Brandon's shaking shoulder.

"Calm down," Braden said softly and Brandon took a deep breath through his nose before he let it out of his mouth.

"If Dad could have his way, all of us would be blind to it. Hell, Braden and I were until we started to show signs of changing. It wasn't until then that Mom talked Dad into telling us along with Lucas since he would be next, and Alex didn't find out until recently," Brandon said sharply. "He wanted to protect you from everything. He didn't even think that it was a possibility that one of the other guys might imprint on you."

"I don't care if he wanted to protect me," I said. "I've never lied to him, about anything, and he's lied to me my whole life. All of you have." I turned on the balls of my feet and started walking down the road once more.

"Liv, where are you going?" Braden asked.

"Home!" I shouted.

"You're not walking!" Brandon said before I was yanked rather roughly by the arm and thrown over a shoulder.

"Put me down!" I screamed and it wasn't until we were at the truck that he finally put me down. I was no more settled on my feet before I reared back and punched Brandon in the face as hard as I could with my right hand. He didn't even flinch while I let out a blood curdling scream as I actually felt bones break in my hand.

"Damn it Liv!" Brandon shouted as he grabbed my arm, but not as harshly as he had before. However, I still cried out in pain as involuntary tears filled my eyes and started spilling over at the pain radiated up my arm from my hand.

"First Drew now you," Braden said as he came around and took my arm from Brandon's hand, but with far gentler hands than Brandon had.

"This time it was her fault," Brandon said sharply.

"What's going on?" came DJ's voice and I was too focused on the pain to figure out what he was doing there.

"Liv?" a panicked Andrew asked and I found myself passed off to him. "What happened to your hand?" he asked his hands settling on my upper waist.

"She let that temper of hers get the better of her," Brandon said.

"And I'm going to guess you had something to do with it," Andrew said with venom in his voice as his grip on me tightened.

"Go fu-," Brandon started, but I interrupted my brother.

"Stop!" I shouted as I looked over at him, the moonlight shining down on all of us. "There's no point in arguing. Just get me to the fucking hospital." Andrew sighed before he helped me into the back of the truck and crawled up with me. I was sitting in the center of the back seat, Andrew on my left and while Braden climbed into the front passenger seat and Brandon got behind the wheel before he peeled off down the road after he said something to DJ. I cradled my hand to my chest and in the darkness I could already make out the swelling. I was doing my best to hold in my tears as Braden whipped out his cell phone.

"Are you okay?" Andrew asked me and I groaned quietly as I turned my head towards him.

"No," I said through my teeth. "I'm not." Andrew sighed and pressed a kiss to the side of my head before he rested his forehead against mint. It was both comforting and annoying, but it wasn't his fault I had a broken hand. After all, Brandon was right. It was my fault. I should have known better than to punch him. I may have just learned that the legends were real and was pissed for being kept in the dark, but that was no excuse for forgetting that they were practically indestructible.

"Hi Mom," Braden said. "Not exactly," he said after a pause. "We're on our way to the hospital." He sighed heavily. "It's Liv. We're pretty sure she's broken her hand." Another pause and I could hear Mom's muffled voice echoing over the phone. "Okay, we'll see you there." I turned my head towards Andrew and rested my head on his shoulder. I was so not looking forward to my parents showing up at the hospital. I knew I was going to be in for an earful.

* * *

I had broken two metacarpals and slight fracture to another thanks to my right hook to Brandon's face. Thankfully the broken bones were clean brakes and no surgery would be necessary to repair them. However, I was going to be stuck with a cast on my hand for the next six weeks. Mom was in the room with me while the nurse applied the cast that went a little over halfway up my fingers and down over my wrist. I had no idea how I was going to take notes in class, but I figured Grace or Andrew would more than likely help me out.

"There we go," the nurse said quietly, breaking the silence of the room. "Just keep your arm there for the cast to set and you'll be good to go." She started cleaning up the items. "I'll be back in with the paper work for you to sign, Mrs. Lahote," she said and Mom gave her a small smile as she nodded her head and the nurse left carrying the tray she had brought in before she started casting my hand.

"What was in your head when you punched him?" Mom asked the second the nurse was out the door. It was the first opportunity she had had to interrogate me and I sighed quietly looked at my drying cast.

"I was mad at him," I said. "I still am, and I'm mad at you too." I looked back up at her and she stood from her seat and walked over to the hospital bed I sat on as she crossed her arms over her chest. "How could you keep this from me, Mom?"

"Your father thought it was best, Olivia, and I agreed with him at first," she said as she uncrossed her arms and smoothed her hair on top of her head. "However, when your brothers started to show signs of changing, I thought we should tell you, but your father didn't think it was best."

"Why? Braden and Brandon said it was to protect me, because Dad didn't want me to worry; but I don't believe that," I said and Mom sighed.

"We should wait and have this conversation at home, maybe even in the morning," she said as she reached out and tucked my hair behind my left ear.

"Why wait until tomorrow?" I asked. "We should get everything out in the open because I'm sick and tired of being lied to." Just then the nurse came back in with a clipboard.

"Okay, Mrs. Lahote, I just need you to sign the release papers and you can get Olivia home," she said and Mom moved over to stand with the nurse. Mom took the clipboard and started reading over the paperwork as the nurse spoke. "Dr. Marshall has already sent Olivia's prescription to the pharmacy in the hospital, so, you'll be able to pick up her medication before you leave tonight."

"Great," Mom said as she signed the paperwork and gave the nurse back the forms. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the nurse said with a smile before she looked at me. "We'll see you again in six weeks to get that cast off, Olivia," she said and I nodded before I forced a smile and climbed down from the bed. Mom and I made our way down the hallway and towards the lobby where everyone else was waiting. Dad stood first and started towards us with the rest of them following behind him.

"What's the verdict?" Dad asked as he looked at my hand.

"Two broken bones and a slight fracture to another," Mom said and Dad sighed. "Her prescription's ready at the pharmacy. Would you mind going to get it so we can head home?" Mom asked and Dad shook his head negatively before he made to kiss my head but I turned away from him, avoiding his kiss. I looked at him, a slight glare in my eyes. Dad took a deep breath through his nose and his body tensed before he turned on the balls of his feet and practically stomped down the hallway.

"Olivia Ann, that wasn't necessary," Mom said quietly but I ignored her and looked towards the guys, but Andrew wasn't there.

"Where's Drew?" I asked with a frown as I looked at my brothers.

"Outside," Braden said. "His pacing was driving Dad nuts." I walked past them then and outside to find Andrew down the sidewalk and leaning against the brick wall of the hospital. He looked up from the cement at his feet and towards me.

The lights outside allowed me to see the relief wash over his face as he pushed off the wall and start towards me. I walked towards him, meeting him halfway, and the second I was within arm's reach he scooped me up in his arms and pressed me to his chest. It was then that I realized he was only wearing a pair of cut offs and nothing else. He and DJ must have heard my scream and phased to investigate what was going on. That was probably why they got there as quickly as they did.

"How are you?" he asked into my hair.

"A few broken bones and they gave me something for the pain, so, I'm much better now," I said into his warm chest. His arms tightened around me a bit before he kissed the top of my head. We pulled apart and I gave him a small smile and he chuckled quietly before he brought his hands to my face.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," I said. "I'm the idiot that punched him in the face. Brandon was right. I let my temper get the best of me. I've got too much of my dad in me for my own good."

"You can say that again," Mom said from behind me and Andrew lowered his hands from my face as I turned around to look at her. "Say goodbye to Drew, Olivia. It's time to go home." I looked over my shoulder at Andrew before I looked back at Mom. "You can see him tomorrow," she promised and I looked at Andrew once more. He kissed my forehead and I closed my eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered and I nodded before I walked towards Mom and towards Dad's truck. I was anxious to get home and part of me wished that Andrew would have been able to come with me. It would have been nice to have someone in my corner.

* * *

It seemed like it took hours to get home rather than the thirty minutes I knew it took. We all made our way to the house and went inside, surprisingly everyone moved into the living room without a word being said. Alex was still at Jared and Kim's and would be until tomorrow; well, since it was after midnight technically he'd be home later that day. Brandon and Braden sat down on the sofa while Mom sat down in her chair, but Dad was standing and I didn't really feel like sitting so I stood with him.

"Why didn't you tell me the truth?" I asked straight out as I looked at him. "Why did you keep this from me?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Olivia Ann," Dad said and I frowned, "but I did it to protect you."

"That's like the millionth time I've heard that tonight and I still don't believe it," I said as I shook my head. "How is keeping me in the dark about everything protecting me; and just what are you protecting me from?"

"There's a reason the gene is still active and _that's_ what I'm protecting you from," Dad said.

"I don't understand," I said as I shook my head and Dad sighed as he turned away from me and ran his hand down his face.

"You remember Jacob, don't you Liv?" Mom asked and I looked at her before I nodded. Jacob Black was Billy's son. He visited the reservation on occasion but he lived off of it with his wife who I had never met because she never came with him when he visited. "He lives off the reservation in a rural area at the edge of Forks with his wife, and her parents live close by."

"That's a big deal because?" I asked.

"Jacob's wife is a human/vampire hybrid," Dad said and I looked at him, not really believing what he just said. "Her parents are the girl Jacob was in love with when he was your age and her vampire husband. The girl's a vampire now of course, and since Jacob stays close to La Push because of Billy and his wife is his imprint, she stays with him. Her parents chose to stay there as well, and because of their presence, the gene stays active. We're born to kill their kind, Olivia, and as long as the threat remains the gene will remain active."

"You mean vampires live in Forks?" I asked surprised by that little tidbit of information.

"They keep to their cottage and the surrounding woods," Braden said and I looked at him.

"They're vegetarians," Brandon said with a scoff as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"They don't kill humans, they kill animals, and they have a treaty with our people; but I wanted you to be blind to their existence," Dad said and I returned my eyes to him. "I wanted you to think that the legends were just that, legends. Folk stories passed down from generation to generation; and nothing more. I'm not sorry I didn't tell you. I did what I thought was right."

"Satisfied now?" Brandon asked with a glare and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Brandon, don't egg your sister on," Mom said. "She only has one good hand as it is and I'm not up for another trip to the hospital." Mom stood and walked over to me, putting her hand on my shoulders and turning me towards the stairs. "Come on, sweetheart, go on up to bed and get some sleep. You've had a long day." I didn't fight with her, I just went up to my room and closed my bedroom door. I changed, took off my glasses, pulled my hair back, and crawled into bed.

Whatever explanation I had been expecting when I finally got the chance to talk to Dad, it was not what Dad just laid out on the table. My head was a mess thanks to an overload of information and second dose of medication the nurse had given me at the hospital while casting my hand finally caught up with me and I slipped off into a dreamless sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry it's been forever since I updated. I went on vacation over the Fourth of July weekend and then hit a big brick wall of writer's block. Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I hope you like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

I spent the following day locked away in my room where I listened to music and did my homework as best I could. It was impossible to write given the way my cast was, so, I settled for typing my answers on my laptop and printing them off to hand in with the worksheets. My math homework took the longest because it took me forever to figure out how to write out the equations the right way in the word processer program.

I had only left my room to use the bathroom, raid the kitchen, and get a few pain pills to stop my hand from throbbing; and when I did leave my room I didn't come across any other member of my family except Mom. Thankfully, I'd only gotten a few hopeful looks from Mom as well as a few questions about how my hand was and how I was feeling. I answered her, did my business, and went back up to my room.

Andrew had called, several times actually, but I told him that I wasn't up for seeing him that day. He sounded hurt that I didn't want to see him, but when I suggested that he pick me up for school the next day, he cheered up and promised to be at my house by seven to take me to school. I had wasted the entire day just lounging around my room doing absolutely nothing and even though it was only eight o'clock, I decided to call it an early night.

I washed up for bed, plastic bag over my right hand, and changed into a pair of black shorts and the maroon t-shirt with Stanford written in bold white letters that Lucas had sent me two weeks ago, which I wore to bed every night since I got it because it was about two sizes too big and beyond comfortable. I was just turning down my bed when my cell phone started ringing. I adjusted my glasses with my left hand before I picked up the phone and sighed when I saw 'Lucas' on the screen along with his smiling face. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I hit 'accept' and opened my eyes.

"Hey Lucas," I said softly. It had been three weeks since I last talked to my brother and a lot had happened in those three weeks. I wasn't so sure if I wanted to talk to him, but aside from Grace Lucas was my best friend.

"So," Lucas said dryly, "I get off work and check my phone only to see that I've got a few missed calls and two voicemails from Mom begging me to call you and talk some sense into you."

"Did she at least tell you what it is you need to talk to sense into me about?" I asked as I turned around and flopped back against my bed.

"She gave me the rundown," Lucas said with a chuckle. "In code of course since she was leaving me a message."

"Of course," I said heavily. "So, let's hear it."

"What do you think I'm going to tell you, Liv?" Lucas asked and I could hear the smile that was obviously on his face in his voice.

"How it was for my own good that I was kept in the dark about everything," I said as I waved around my cast covered hand above me where I laid on my bed. "About how it was so I wouldn't have to worry and so that you all could protect me from Jacob's half-vampire wife and her full vampire parents; come on, I'm ready to hear it all over again. Tell me I'm overreacting and we can wrap up this conversation."

"I'm not going to tell you that," Lucas said and my casted hand fell to the side as I frowned up at the ceiling.

"You're not?" I asked and he scoffed a laugh.

"No, I'm not," he said. "Believe it or not, I'm on your side."

"But you lied to me about it too," I said.

"Dad wasn't the one that was keeping Brandon, Braden, or me from telling you," Lucas said and my frowned deepened. "Until about a month ago, Sam was reigning alpha. He may have phased only once or twice a year, but he wasn't ready to pass the task down to DJ yet. One of the first orders he gave Brandon, Braden, and me was to not say anything to you. We couldn't even give you hints, and trust me I _hated_ not being able to tell you. Dad didn't want you to know, and Sam being Dad's friend did him a favor." There was silence between us for a few seconds before Lucas sighed. "Liv, they meant well."

"I know and I get that now, but that doesn't make it hurt any less," I said quietly. Throughout my lazy day I had thought about what had happened over the last couple of days and like with Andrew, I now understood why they did what they did but it still made me upset that they kept everything from me. We were quiet again for a few more seconds before Lucas broke it again.

"Do you think you'll be able to move past everything and forgive all of us?" he asked me gently. I rolled my eyes and sighed quietly as I sat up and crossed my legs in front of me. I may have been upset with them, but we were family. I loved them and nothing would ever break us apart.

"Of course, Lucas, we're family," I said, voicing my thoughts, "but for five years everyone lied to me."

"Think about it, Liv, we didn't exactly _lie _we just didn't exactly let you in on everything," he said and despite me wanting to argue with him, he was right. They really hadn't lied to me. They simply omitted the fact that the legends weren't legends and that they were real. "Plus, you were eleven when Brandon and Braden first changed," Lucas said. "What would you have thought if Mom and Dad told you the truth?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. I hadn't really thought about what eleven year old me would have thought about the legends being real. I would have been freaked out and my entire relationship with my brothers would be different. I probably wouldn't be as close to them as I was and everything would be different between us. "I don't know what I would have thought," I said again, "but things would probably be a lot different between us."

"Yeah, that's true," Lucas said.

"Maybe it's a good thing I was kept out of the loop but I'm still pissed, Lucas, and I think I have the right to be," I said.

"You do, but try not to hold on to the anger too much longer. Mom's not taking the terse and short answers very well," Lucas said and I laughed when I heard a light chuckle follow his words.

"Yeah, I wasn't exactly nice to her earlier today," I said as I slid my casted hand across my comforter. Truthfully, I felt kind of bad for being so short with Mom when I saw her and I really shouldn't have been upset with her. After all, like Lucas, she had wanted to tell me. "I'll apologize before I go to bed."

"Good," Lucas said. "So, how's the hand?" I laughed and looked at my cast covered hand before I returned my eyes to the opposite wall.

"Mom told you about that too, huh?" I asked.

"Oh yeah," he said with a light laugh.

"It's fine," I said. "Throbs every once in a while but the doctor gave me some mild pain medication to take the edge off it."

"You should have known better," Lucas said, still chuckling, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, I know."

"But I can't say that I blame you," Lucas said. "What did he do or say exactly? Mom didn't tell me that."

"We were arguing last night on the side of the road and I was set to walk the rest of the way home when he came up and threw me over his shoulder like he always does brought me back to the truck. I was seeing red and when he settled me back on my feet I just reared back and punched him as hard as I could."

"Not smart," Lucas said as he started chuckling yet again.

"Yeah, I know," I said again before I too chuckled. "I'm lucky I didn't shatter the bones; all clean breaks." We talked for a little while more about how his classes were going and things like that before Lucas finally brought our conversation to a close.

"I've got some coursework to finish up for my classes tomorrow, so, how about we finish up this conversation tomorrow and you can tell me how everything went?"

"Okay," I said before I sighed quietly. "Thanks Lucas."

"For what?" he asked.

"Actually listening to me and not preaching to me that I was overacting," I said. "I know I can't talk to Grace about this and Andrew right now is more into making up for the last six weeks than anything else. So, thanks for calming me down and getting me to see that it was probably a good thing that they didn't tell me."

"That's what older brothers are for, Liv."

"Could you pass that on to Brandon for me?" I asked and Lucas laughed again.

"I'll try, but there's no guarantee that it'll stick," he said and I chuckled. "Love you, Liv."

"Love you too, Lucas. Good night," I said.

"Night," Lucas said and we ended our call. I climbed from my bed with a heavy sigh before I sat my phone down on my nightstand and made my way downstairs. It was almost ten o'clock and since nine-thirty was Alex's bedtime, I knew that he was already tucked away, so, our parents would be settled in the living room to watch the evening news before they too went to bed.

"Hey," I said as I walked into the living room and Mom and Dad looked at me from where they sat together on the sofa. I walked over to Dad's chair and sat down before I drew my bare legs up and wrapped my arms around my shins. "So, I talked to Lucas," I said as I looked at my parents and Mom sat up from her leaning position against Dad while both of them looked at me, "and he got me thinking."

"About?" Dad asked, his voice surprisingly even, and there was no trace of anger or hostility in his eyes like there had been the night before.

"Everything," I said. "You were right to not tell me when Brandon and Braden first changed, I was too young to really understand, but that doesn't mean it was okay for you to keep me in the dark now. You should have told me when you told Alex, and I'm hurt that you didn't."

"I'm sorry that you're hurt, Olivia, but you're my little girl and I wanted to protect you," Dad said and I gave him a crooked smile, the same smile that Mom told me countless times that I shared with Dad.

"I'm not a little girl anymore Dad," I said and Dad sighed heavily before he looked at Mom who smiled at him and tilted her head as the expression on her face said 'told you so.' Dad looked back at me and gave me a small smile.

"I guess you're not," he said, "but you've still got a lot of growing up to do."

"I know," I said as I unlocked my arms from around my legs and lowered my feet to the floor before I stood and walked over to him. I kissed his cheek and smiled at him. "You've got me for another year at least, but loosen up on the leash a bit."

"No promises," Dad said with a grin and I laughed quietly before I moved over to Mom and hugged her.

"Sorry about earlier," I said as I pulled back and she smiled at me.

"I see Lucas talked to you about that too, huh?" she asked and I nodded my head.

"Yep, but I was going to apologize anyway. I felt bad," I said as I stepped back and she smiled again.

"Are we a happy family again?" came Brandon's voice from behind me and I turned around to see him and Braden standing in the foyer. They had curious looks on their faces and I rolled my eyes before I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Until you do something that leads me to have another broken hand," I said and Brandon grinned before he glanced at his twin who was smiling at well. I rolled my eyes before I looked at our parents and then at my brothers. "Good night," I said as I uncrossed my arms and started towards the stairs. I no more put my right foot on the first stair when Braden stopped me.

"You want a lift to school tomorrow?" he asked me and I shook my head negatively.

"Drew's actually taking me to school, but thanks for asking," I said before I went upstairs smiling to myself as I did so.

* * *

The next morning I got ready for school and Mom French braided my hair for me before we all sat down for breakfast. We all chatted like it was a regular day and as if the last two days hadn't happened. It was weird, but nice to be back to mostly normal. With my broken hand I got out of helping clean up, meaning my usual morning chore was passed down to Alex, who grumbled about how it was fair. However, one look from Dad silenced his quiet mumblings.

I was upstairs in my room putting on my shoes and my jacket when I heard a truck pull up in the drive. I moved over to the window and smiled when I saw Andrew get out of what was obviously DJ's truck and head towards the house. I grabbed the strap of my backpack with my left hand before I threw it over my shoulder.

"Liv! Drew's here!" Dad's voice came from downstairs as I left my room and started down the stairs. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, it was just in time to see Dad shake Andrew's hand and I smiled at the smile that was on Andrew's face as he looked at Dad.

"Hey," I said as they let go of each other's hands and Drew's eyes instantly went to my face, his smile lighting up his eyes as he looked at me.

"Hey," he said before I closed the distance between us and leaned up to him. He leaned down towards me, allowing me to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Bye Dad," I said as I looked at him and he sighed before he smiled at me.

"Have a good day at school, Livy," he said and I nodded.

"See you later," I said as Andrew took my backpack from me before he took my left into his right. Dad gave a half wave as Andrew and I left and made our way to the truck. He opened the passenger door and sat my bag on the small backseat next to his. I made to climb in, but yet again he stopped me. I looked up at him and he smiled as he let go of my hand and put his hand in the pocket of his jeans where he pulled out a familiar velvet bag.

"I figured you'd want this back now," he said, sounding unsure as he opened the bag and took out the very locket I had thrown at him the other night. "I got a new chain for you yesterday." I smiled as I looked at it and then up at Andrew's face.

"Put it on me?" I asked and he smiled before he unclasped it and slipped his hands under the collar of my jacket as he put it around my neck. His fingers brushed against my neck as he secured the clasp, his eyes locked with mine. "Thank you," I said quietly as I fingered the locket that rested against my chest and he smiled.

"Perfect," he said as he pulled his hands away.

"We should get going," I said and he nodded before he helped me up into the truck even though he really didn't have to. He backed the truck out of the driveway and we were on our way to school.

"So, what are you going to tell everyone about your hand?" Andrew asked as he drove and I sighed as I looked at my cast covered hand that rested in my lap.

"I haven't really figured that out yet," I said before I looked at him. "Everyone knows I've got a temper, so, I could just say that I got into a fight with my brother and hit the wall in frustration."

"Sounds believable," he said, "but how are we going to explain that we're back together?"

"That's easy," I said with a smile and he glanced at me with a cocked eyebrow before he returned his eyes to the road.

"How?" he asked.

"You came to your senses and groveled at my feet for me to take you back. I showed mercy on you and did," I said and Andrew laughed. "What? You don't like that idea?" I asked with a smile and Andrew laughed again.

"Love it," he said before he took hold of my left hand into his right and laced his fingers with mine.

"You know you'd catch hell from Caleb and the guys if I actually said that, right?" I asked and he glanced at me.

"No I wouldn't," he said and I cocked my head to the side in curiosity.

"No?" I asked.

"No," he said with a smile. "Caleb's been trying to get me to talk to you for weeks now. They'll probably throw a party celebrating the fact that I took my head out of my ass and made things right."

"Oh," I said and he squeezed my hand. The rest of the ride was spent in silence, but a comfortable silence. We pulled up to the school and as we climbed from the truck, nearly everyone was looking our way. "Well isn't this great," I whispered as Andrew stood next to me and reached into the cab of the truck and grabbed our bags.

Melanie Blackwood, who was standing with her friends, was glaring at me and Grace was standing with Kelly and Hailey with her mouth open before all three of my friends started smiling. Kelly's smile surprised me since I thought she was still upset with me, but obviously she'd forgiven me for my little outburst on Friday.

"Hey," Andrew said before he brought his right hand to my chin and turned my face so I was looking up at him. He smiled before he leaned down and kissed me softly, his lips working their calming magic over me as they moved slowly against mine. A few catcalls echoed in the air and Andrew pulled his lips from mine. He smiled at me and ran his thumb along my jaw. "I love you." I smiled back up at him and he lowered his hand.

"I love you too," I said softly and he smiled.

"That's all that matters," he said before he closed the truck door and swung both our bags over his left shoulder and took my left hand into his right. "Let's go," he said and we made our way into the small building with our classmates following behind.


	14. Chapter 14

Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I know I promised to update on Saturday, but I didn't have this finished until today. I hope you like it, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight. (Also see additional disclaimer at the bottom.)

* * *

**Chapter 14**

"When did you two get back together?" Graced asked me as she settled into her seat next to me with Kelly and Hailey taking their seats. I glanced and Andrew and I wasn't surprised when he looked my way and smiled since I knew he was probably tuning in to our conversation with that heightened hearing of his. I smiled back before I looked at Grace, my smile still on my face.

"Saturday," I said and Grace's eyes widened.

"And you didn't call us?" she asked.

"Yeah, well, it was an eventful weekend," I said as I raised my right hand and all three of them gasped.

"What in the hell happened to your hand?" Kelly asked and I looked at her as I rested my arm on my desk.

"Are you talking to me again?" I asked her back and Kelly sighed as she slumped a bit in her seat.

"Yes, I was being a bitch and you were right to lash out, but you gotta admit that you were a little harsh," Kelly said.

"I was, and I'm sorry," I said and Kelly smiled at me.

"I'm sorry too," she said and we shared a laugh before we hugged awkwardly across the aisle and settled back into our seats.

"Okay, now that that's out of the way," Grace said with a smile, "what happened to your hand?"

"Brandon and I got into a fight and my temper got the best of me," I said. I couldn't really lie very well to anyone, so, I knew I couldn't tell them that I hit the wall. I let what I said hang out there and Grace was the first to speak.

"Did you punch him?" she asked and I nodded slightly.

"Broke my hand in the process," I said as I looked at her.

"How hard did you punch him?" Hailey asked and I turned my eyes to her.

"Not hard enough," I said with a grin. "He was still an ass even after I broke my hand on his face."

"What'd it do to him?" Kelly asked and I shook my head.

"Nothing," I said.

"Nothing?" they all harmonized and I chuckled as I quickly thought of something to say.

"Other than a sore jaw," I said. "Mom always did say he had a hard head and she was right." They all laughed lightly and shook their heads. "Do you think I could borrow your notes after school today? I'll type them up on my computer and give them back to you tomorrow," I said as I turned my eyes to Grace and my best friend nodded her head, a small smile on her face.

"Sure," Grace said and I smiled at her. The bell sounded and Mrs. White came into the room. I nodded my head towards the teacher and stood.

"I need to talk to Mrs. White about this," I said as I shook my hand. "Be right back." I made my way to the front of the class and as I walked, I could feel Andrew's eyes on me as I walked. I was so in tuned to him now, even more so than before, and it was both comforting and weird at the same time. However, I found that I didn't mind it one bit and I glanced over my shoulder at him only to have him wink at me. I smiled slightly before I turned my eyes back to the front and made my way to Mrs. White's desk.

* * *

The days turned into weeks and soon there was snow blanketing the ground and the air had turned even colder as December began. My hand was cast free and I was back to doing my regular chores around the house and taking my own notes in class once again. My relationship with Andrew was solid and my relationship with my family had returned to normal.

Sure, Brandon and Braden still enjoyed teasing me and giving me a hard time but they'd done that for seventeen years; I highly doubted they were ever going to stop, and strangely enough I didn't mind it. Lucas would be coming home in less than three weeks to spend Christmas and New Years with the family before he went back to school, and I couldn't wait to actually see him in person after not seeing him for the last four months.

Dad, though still a little reluctant to let me go off with Andrew, had gotten better at letting me do just that. Mom said it was because he remembered how his relationship with her had changed as the length of time they were together grew, and he worried about me growing up a too fast for his liking. He really had nothing to worry about, at least for right now. Andrew and I had gone no further than a few make out sessions, but they were getting heavier and harder to stop.

It was a quiet Thursday afternoon and I had gone to Andrew's house with him after school. We were up in his room, he was at his desk and I was laid out on his bed, as we worked on our homework in silence. Well, we were quiet but music was playing quietly in the background, more for noise than entertainment really since neither one of us was really paying attention to it. Sam was at work still and Emily, after checking to see if either of us wanted anything, had gone off to the grocery store.

"Have you finished the math assignment yet?" I asked as I looked up from my textbook and my notebook to Andrew's back. He turned slightly in his chair and grinned at me.

"I'm not letting you copy," he said and I rolled my eyes before I scratched my nose. I wasn't wearing my glasses that day since I had opted for my contacts that morning, and my eyes were a bit irritated from staring at my textbooks for the better part of two hours.

"I don't want to copy," I said and he cocked an eyebrow, which made me smirk. "I don't," I said with a laugh. "You're the math genius, and I don't know if I'm doing this equation right."

"Let me see," he said as he sat his pencil down and stood from his chair before he walked over to the bed. I sat my own pencil down and held up my notebook to him as I rested my weight on my left elbow. He looked at the lone problem of twenty that I had completed and nodded his head. "You're doing it right," he assured me as he sat my notebook down in front of me before he kissed me chastely, "and you're not as bad at math as you think you are," he added before he kissed me again and I brought my right hand to the back of his neck and held him there as our lips moved against each other.

Suddenly, I found myself lying back on his bed with Andrew's much larger and much warmer body covering mine as our kiss deepened. Andrew's left hand had an almost steel like grip on my right hip before his hand moved up my side and pushed my t-shirt along with it. My warms were wrapped around his shoulders/neck and as his slightly calloused and hot hand caressed my side making my entire body tingle. I gasped quietly at the sensation and pulled my lips from his. He looked down at me with dark eyes and I looked up at him with hooded eyes as our heavy breaths mingled together.

"Something wrong?" he asked and I shook my head negatively as I moved my right hand to the back of his head and laced my fingers in his hair.

"No," I said softly.

"You sure?" he asked and I nodded as I pulled his lips back down to mine. He eagerly returned my kiss while his thumb rubbed against my stomach. His legs were between mine and our bodies pressed tight together as his hips pressed into mine making both of us moan softly into the kiss. I could feel the affect the moment was having on him, and like the handful of times before I felt a little pride I knowing that I caused that reaction.

Andrew slid his arms underneath my back and sat up, pulling me with him as he sat back against his lower legs and on his knees. My arms remained around his shoulders while my legs wrapped around his waist and he settled me on his lap while his arms were still against my back as his hands gripped my shoulders tight. All the while our kiss never broke and our bodies seemed to melt together from the heat emanating between us. Our homework was long forgotten, and truthfully I didn't mind. Andrew's hands slid down my back and took hold of the hem of my shirt and as he started to pull the cotton up to remove it from my body, a voice cut through the air.

"Drew! Come give me a hand with the groceries!" Emily yelled up the stairs and Andrew and I slowly broke apart. We remained intertwined, but our lips were no longer together as we panted heavily and looked at each other.

"She has some timing doesn't she?" I asked him lightly with a small smile and Andrew chuckled before he kissed me chastely once more. "I'll go help her while you go and fix yourself," I said and he laughed a breathy laugh.

"Probably a good idea," he said and I slid off of him before I climbed from the bed. I took a deep breath to calm myself down as I fixed my shirt and tightened my ponytail before I looked at Andrew, who stood and adjusted himself with a small wince. He blushed when he noticed I was looking at him and I smiled before I left the room. I went downstairs just as Emily was coming out of the kitchen having dropped off the bags she had just brought in.

"Where's Drew?" she asked me and I smiled.

"Bathroom," I said. "I thought I'd give you a hand."

"Thank you, Liv," she said with a grateful smile and I threw on my jacket and stepped into my boots that were by the door before I followed her outside to her car. Just like when Mom when to the grocery store, Emily's car was filled with bags and it was going to take a couple of trips to get everything inside.

We were on our third trip when Andrew finally came sauntering down the stairs and Emily laughed as she looked at her son.

"I was beginning to think you fell in," Emily said and I smirked and raised an eyebrow as I looked at Andrew's darkening face as he looked between me and Emily as we walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, sorry," he said before he pulled on his shoes and headed outside. I looked at Emily and laughed.

"You can start unpacking, Emily, there are only a few bags left and Drew and I can bring them in," I said and Emily nodded while I followed Andrew outside. He was gathering the rest of the bags in his hands and I smiled at him as I made my way over to him. "Took you long enough," I said as I closed the trunk of Emily's car and Andrew chuckled as he shook his head and looked down at me.

"Yeah, well, took a little longer than usual," he said, his cheeks darkening yet again as the fog from our breath danced in front of our faces.

"Sorry about that," I said and he smiled before he leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Not your fault," he said and I smiled up at him.

"Technically it kind of is," I said and he laughed as he rolled his eyes and kissed my forehead yet again before he walked around me and headed to the house with the last of the bags in tow. I laughed as I stuck my hands in the pockets of my jacket and made my way towards the house.

"Liv, will you be staying for dinner?" Emily asked as she and Andrew both started unloading the bags.

"I'd love to, but it's my turn to do the dishes after dinner and Alex will have my head if I miss it," I said and Emily laughed. I slipped off my boots and my jacket before I gestured upstairs. "I'm going to run upstairs and get my stuff together because I should get going." Andrew looked at me. He put down the jar of pickles he was holding.

"I'll help," he said and I shook my head as I held up my hands.

"You finish helping Emily," I said. "I'm sure I can manage putting my books in my backpack." Andrew sighed and I smiled before I turned on the balls of my feet and went upstairs. Once in Andrew's room, I gathered my things and with backpack in hand I went downstairs. Surprisingly, they were almost finished putting things away when I got downstairs and I sat my bag down on the floor next to the island and Emily smiled at me.

"All set?" she asked and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said.

"Mom, could I borrow the car to take Liv home?" Andrew asked and as Emily started putting away the reusable cloth bags that she used when she went shopping.

"Sure," she said. "Keys are in my purse."

"Thanks, Mom," he said as he got the keys from Emily's bag while I put on my boots and then my jacket. I went to grab my backpack, but Andrew beat me to it with a grin. "Ready?" he asked and I laughed as I nodded my head.

"Yep," I said. "Bye Emily."

"Bye Liv," she said. "Tell Harper that we need to get together with Kim to plan the Christmas part."

"I'll have her call you," I promised and she smiled at me before she nodded. Andrew took my hand and the two of us made our way back out to the car.

"So, what are you doing tomorrow night?" he asked as we walked to the car and I glanced up at him.

"Grace is the MC at the talent show and asked me to go tomorrow night, but if you want to do something I can weasel my way out of it," I said and he laughed lightly as he opened the car door for me.

"Grace would be crushed if you weren't there," he said. "I just wanted to make sure you had something to do because I have to do some runs with DJ tomorrow night."

"Oh," I said with a soft sigh and he tilted my chin up with his free hand before he smiled at me.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he lowered his hand.

"I was hoping . . ." I trailed off as I blushed, but it wasn't really anything to be ashamed of, it was just sort of embarrassing to admit.

"You were hoping?" he asked.

"I was hoping we could finish where we left off today," I said and his eyebrows rose while my cheeks remained pink.

"Really?" he asked and I nodded as I raised my hands to his t-shirt covered chest. It was freezing outside and his body was still insanely warm despite him only wearing a t-shirt.

"Does that surprise you?" I asked and he shook his head negatively.

"No," he said with a smile. "I'm just trying to think about how to get out of patrolling tomorrow." I laughed and he leaned down to kiss me chastely. "However, I don't think I'll be able to."

"Probably not," I said and he sighed as his eyes danced between mine.

"I love you, you know," he said and I smiled softly at him.

"I know," I said. "You tell me that every day at least five times, and I love you too." He chuckled before he kissed me yet again and just as briefly as the first.

"Let's get you home," he said as he stepped away and opened the car door. I climbed in and took my backpack from him before he closed the door for me and jogged around the car. I so did not want to go home, but if I missed another family dinner, not only would Alex be upset for having to do the dishes again but Mom would have my head for once again eating at the Uley's.

* * *

"Why do we have a talent show again?" I asked as I helped Grace get her notes together backstage of the make shift auditorium. It was a built stage in the cafeteria since the school didn't have an actual auditorium.

"It's to raise money for the school," Grace said. "You know that, Liv."

"I know, but most of the people at this school have zero talent," I said in a whisper as my eyes glanced towards Melanie who was 'prepping' her voice to sing. Grace laughed and smirked slightly as she looked at me.

"There are a couple acts this year that you might like," she said and I huffed.

"Doubt it," I said. She had a look in her eyes that had me feeling like she wasn't telling me something.

"Trust me," she said before she put her hands on my shoulders and turned me around. "Now go to your seat and enjoy the show." I sighed and did as she said. I walked out into the main room which was surprisingly full of parents and friends of the people that had signed up for the show. Grace had saved me a seat that was front and center and I huffed as I sat down in my seat before I crossed my legs and adjusted my glasses as the lights dimmed and the lights shined on the stage.

* * *

I had suffered an hour through Melanie's off key singing, a couple of dancers who were okay, another singer, and an actual 'magician.' I was wishing for the night to be over and thankful as the last act left the stage and Grace made her way back out, I knew my wish was coming true. I smiled up at Grace when she looked at me and brought the mic to her lips.

"We had a last minute sign up for our talent show earlier this week, so, you won't find his name in your programs," Grace said as she turned her eyes to the crowd and I frowned. "So, here performing an original song is Andrew Uley."

My gasp was audible as everyone started clapping rather loudly for Andrew and my eyes widened while Grace put the mic in its stand and started off stage while Andrew wandered out, acoustic guitar in hand and a nervous smile on his face as he looked out at the crowd. After a short wave to the crowd, his eyes found mine and he winked at me as he stopped at the mic and put the strap to his guitar around his shoulders. He didn't say a word before he started to strum his guitar and a soft low melody began to fill the room and as his eyes met mine his beautiful voice joined in and there and then it felt like it was only the two of us in the room.

"It might be your smile because it can change my day," he sang beautifully, his eyes never leaving mine as he strummed the guitar and continued to sing. "Hazel eyes that can chase my blues away. It might be your touch that keeps me coming back for more; loving words that keep me going strong. That heart of hers I hang my future on. What it is, well, I can't say for sure; it's just she's got this thing about her.

"She's got this thing about her; like the magic in your favorite song you just can't put your finger on. In her arms when we're all along, I get the feeling that I've come back home; she's got this thing about her. She stops time when she moves through a room, when she leaves she's always gone too soon; and I'm counting down the minutes 'til she's back. She's the love I've known eternally. It always feels brand new to me; I can't separate the fiction from the fact. It's just she's got this thing about her. She's got this thing about her.

"Like a hymn in a cathedral hall. Watching April snowflakes fall. In her arms when we're all alone, I get the feeling that I've come back home. She's got this thing about her," he stopped singing as he had reached the bridge and he closed his eyes as he played his guitar for a few seconds before the music slowed even more and grew fainter. "Like the magic in your favorite song, you just can't put your finger on. She's got this thing about her." He opened his eyes as his last note hung in the air and the music faded away I sniffed and it was only then that I realized I had started crying at some point during the song.

The crowd in the room broke out into a loud applause as everyone but me stood and cheered. I could only stare up at him as he looked away from me for a second and waved his hand and nodded his head in thanks to the crowd before he looked back at me. I smiled at him then, a watery eyed smile as I wiped at my cheeks, and he smiled back at me before he mouthed 'love you' and disappeared from the stage. Grace came out a second letter and took the microphone from its stand, and as everyone settled back in their seats, I stood up and raced from the room towards the back where I knew Andrew had gone and where I found him waiting for me behind the curtain.

"Did you like it?" he asked me quietly as Grace's voice filled the air around us as she spoke.

"You wrote that for me?" I asked and he laughed quietly as he sat his guitar down on the small table next to us and took my slightly trembling hands into his.

"Do you even have to ask that question?" he asked and I giggled as I shook my head.

"No, I suppose I don't," I said and he smiled.

"So, did you like it?" he asked me and I nodded.

"I loved it, Drew," I said and he let go of my hands before he brought his hands to my face and gently wiped at my tears with his thumbs. "Why didn't you tell me that you signed up for the show?"

"And miss the look of surprise on your face as I walked out?" he asked me and I smiled at him. "I wanted to surprise you and Grace agreed to help me keep everything quiet." I laughed and shook my head slightly.

"I can't escape the lies can I?" I asked and Andrew grinned.

"Last time, I promise," he said and I smiled back before he tilted my head back and just as he was about to press his lips to mine, Grace's loud shout halted our kiss.

"And the winner is ANDREW ULEY! Come on out here Drew!" Grace shouted and the crowd cheered for Andrew yet again. I smiled as he sighed and pressed his forehead to mine.

"Go on and get your trophy. I'll be here waiting for you," I promised and he smiled as he lived his head.

"You better," he said as he lowered his hands from my face and made his way the stage. I had no idea what I'd done to deserve a guy like Andrew, but whatever it was I was glad I'd done it.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the song sung in this chapter. "She's Got This Thing About Her" belongs to Chris Young and the writers of the song, which is on his new album 'Neon.' I also changed 'blue eyes' to 'hazel eyes' since Liv's eyes are hazel. After hearing the song, I thought it was the perfect song for Drew to sing to Liv, and I highly reccomend it if you're a country music fan or enjoy a beautiful slow love song.


	15. Chapter 15

Hey everyone! Thank you all for your reviews and adds for the last chapter; and I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter out. However, it is a little over 6,300 words, so, I hope the length makes up for the time it took for me to get this out. I think this chapter is one that everyone's been looking forward to and I hope you like it. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

_Third Person POV_

Andrew had never felt quite as free as he did as he ran through the forests in his wolf form. The frozen ground broke under his large paws and his breath came out in clouds thanks to the cold December air as he raced through the trees, the wind in his fur. He'd had a busy day getting everything ready for that night and he was on his way to Olivia's house for dinner with her family. As he ran, he let his mind wander to the night before and Olivia's face as she sat in the small crowd that had filled the cafeteria for the talent show the night before.

The entire day he'd felt sick to his stomach with nerves and he'd almost thrown up when Grace had called his name to come out on the stage. However, the nerves and sweaty palms had been worth it. Olivia had been surprised to see him walk out on the stage, but the second he started to sing she smiled that smile of hers that had managed to take his breath away since they were thirteen.

Even before he imprinted on her, Andrew had always been drawn to Olivia. The first time he realized he liked her was the summer before seventh grade. His family and practically the rest of the tribe were at First Beach on a rare sunny day during the summer. She was sitting with her friends on a large blanket talking and soaking in the faint sun while he had been playing a game of Frisbee with his friends.

Caleb had over thrown the Frisbee and it floated out of Andrew's reach and hit Olivia in the back of the head. She let out a small shriek as her hand went to the back of her head while her friends started laughing. Andrew winced and started to trot over to apologize and to make sure she was okay when she stood up with the Frisbee in hand and a smile on her face.

"You throw like a girl, Caleb!" she shouted as she looked at Caleb. Andrew had stopped jogging at the sight of her smile and at the knots that had suddenly filled his stomach as he looked at her. He remembered that he had asked himself if she had always been that pretty. He hadn't remembered her being that pretty, but then again he had never really paid that much attention before. "I can teach you how to throw a Frisbee if you want."

"Just toss it back, Lahote!" Caleb said with a laugh and Olivia laughed in return before she did as Caleb said, sending the Frisbee soaring over Andrew's head. He followed the yellow disc in the air all the way to where it landed at Caleb's feet. Smiling Andrew turned back around and looked at Olivia who was smiling once again as she stood with her hands on her narrow hips and her eyes still on Caleb.

"That's how you do it!" she called and her friends laughed and cheered her on. Olivia laughed once again and looked at Andrew. She blushed when their gazes met before she sent a small smile his way and quickly turned back around to her friends and sat back down on the blanket. For a few minutes he stood there just staring at the back of her head and her reddish brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail blow in the gentle breeze. It had taken Caleb to hit him with the Frisbee for his attention to be brought back to the game, but for the rest of the day and into the evening his eyes continued to stray to Olivia.

Andrew gaffed out a laugh at the memory of that day and slowed his run to a trot as he neared his destination. Olivia's house came within view through the trees and he looked up towards her bedroom window. Even though it was only five o'clock it was already dark out and he could see her thanks to her blinds being open and her bedroom light on. He opened his mouth to catch his breath as he panted slightly and hung his tongue out slightly while his eyes were glued to the large second story window.

Olivia was settled at her desk, glasses on her face and hair pulled back with pencil in hand as she did her homework. At least that's what he assumed she was doing if the tired look on her face was anything to go by. He saw her heave a sigh before she ran her left hand over the top of her head, smoothing her hair, as she lifted her head and looked out the window. He stepped out from the trees a bit, allowing the light that emanated from the house to fall on him, revealing him to her eyes as she looked outside. He saw her smile as she waved her pencil wielding hand before she stood and disappeared from his sight.

Andrew moved back into the trees and phased out of his wolf form before he untied his jean cut offs from his leg and he quickly pulled them on before he walked out of the trees. Olivia was already standing on the porch as he jogged towards the house and up the stairs.

"You're early," she said with a smile as she looked up at him. She was wearing a simple black off the shoulder sweater with the thick strap of the white tank top she wore under the sweater revealed, and a pair of dark jeans that hugged the curve of her hips and legs perfectly. Her face was void of any sort of makeup and her hair was pulled into a loose braid that rested over her bare left shoulder. He hugged her lightly and inhaled deeply. She smelled like she always did, like orange blossoms, which was the scent of her perfume that she wore every day. She was beautiful, perfect really, without even trying and she seemed to get more beautiful every time he saw her.

"I couldn't wait until six," he admitted and Olivia laughed as she brought her hands to his chest and rose up on her toes. He grinned and met her halfway, pressing a soft kiss on her lips that always molded perfectly to his.

"Come inside, it's freezing out here," she said after she pulled back and took his left hand into her right.

"Maybe to you; I'm perfectly fine," he teased and she rolled her eyes before she pulled him into the house.

"Ha ha," Olivia said dryly and he laughed as he followed her inside and closed the door behind him before he wiped his wet feet on the mat inside the door.

"Hi Drew," Paul said as Olivia let go of Andrew's hand and the duo walked into the living room.

"Paul," Andrew said with a slight tilt of his head.

"Dad, can Drew come upstairs and help me with our math assignment while Mom's still working on dinner?" Olivia asked and Andrew admired her bravery. They could get away with spending time alone in his room since his parents were a bit more lenient, but Andrew liked all the parts of his anatomy and wanted to keep them intact so since they started seeing each other again they steered clear of her room; even when her parents or the rest of her family weren't home. He didn't want to chance it.

"Shouldn't you help your mother?" Paul asked with a heavy sigh as he looked at his daughter, but before Olivia could say anything Harper's voice filled the air.

"I've got dinner managed," Harper said and everyone looked towards the doorway that led to the kitchen. Harper turned her eyes to the young couple and smiled before she looked back at her husband. "Braden's up in his room and if they leave her door open; I see no problem with Drew giving her a hand with her homework." Olivia smiled and looked at her father who sighed heavily once again before he looked at her.

"Fine, but keep the door _open_ Olivia Ann," Paul said and Olivia took Andrew's hand once more.

"Thanks, Dad," she said before Andrew allowed her to pull him to the stairs and up them.

"Drew, borrow a shirt from Braden while you're up there!" Paul shouted and Olivia laughed as she looked at Andrew who grinned before he let go of Olivia's hand.

"I'll meet you in your room," he said and she nodded as she smiled and they parted ways. Andrew went over to the door he knew that belonged to Brandon and Braden and knocked.

"Come on in," Braden said and Andrew opened the door. "Hey," Braden said as he stood from his bed.

"Hey," Andrew said. "I'm guessing you heard your dad?"

"Yeah," Braden said with a grin as he moved to his dresser and pulled a dark gray t-shirt from his drawer and tossed to him.

"Thanks," Andrew said as he easily caught it. He pulled it over his head and was thankful that it fit him. It was a little tight, but Andrew didn't doubt that it probably fit Braden the same way. He turned to leave, but Braden caught his arm. Andrew looked at him and Braden lowered his hand.

"Look, man, I know that Brandon and I give you a hard time all the time and our dad has constantly got his eyes on you; but all of us do trust you with her," Braden said. "Out of all of our pack brothers, we're glad it was you; and if it was anyone else, we wouldn't be so trusting. I just thought you should know that."

"Thanks Braden," Andrew said. "That means more than you know."

"Just take care of her, okay," Braden said, "she's a special girl."

"I know," Andrew said and Braden grinned as he nodded.

"And remember we can see your thoughts so keep them PG. It's bad enough that I've got to put up with Brandon's thoughts about his girl all the time because he makes _no_ effort to keep private thoughts private. I really don't want to see your thoughts about my sister. Plus, I can't promise you that Brandon won't kick your ass if you let something slip."

Andrew nodded with a slight blush to his cheeks before Braden smiled and patted Andrew's shoulder. He'd been doing his best to keep his most recent thoughts in check when he was patrolling with either Brandon or Braden. Thankfully, nothing had slipped but he knew he still had to be carefully. Quickly, Andrew left the room and made his way to Olivia's a small smile coming to his lips. Olivia turned her eyes to him as he walked into her room and smiled at him from where she sat at her desk. "Okay, what do you need help with?" he asked as he walked over to her desk.

* * *

"Dinner was great, Harper," Andrew said as he helped her clear off the table. Braden had left for his patrol shift while Alex was down in the basement family room playing his video games while Paul went into the living room.

"I'm glad you liked it, Drew," Harper said as she sat the plates in her hand on the counter next to the sink where Olivia stood filling the sink with hot water and soap. "So, do the two of you have any other plans for the night?" Harper asked as she looked at Andrew and then at Olivia. Olivia shrugged and looked at Andrew as she turned off the water.

"Not really," Olivia said lightly.

"Actually, I was hoping to take Olivia for a ride," Andrew said and both Harper and Olivia looked at him.

"A ride?" Olivia asked with a raised eyebrow and Andrew chuckled.

"You had so much fun the last time, I thought it would be fun," he said with a grin and Olivia smiled when she realized what he meant.

"What are you two talking about?" Harper asked as she looked between them once again and Olivia's eyes went to her mother. Harper gave her daughter a look and Olivia's cheeks darkened.

"_Not_ what you're thinking!" she said quickly and in a whisper as she glanced towards the door, expecting to see her father storming his way into the kitchen. "The day I figured everything out, Drew phased and I rode on his back to his house."

"Oh," Harper said before she forced a laugh. "Well, as long as you don't go too far and you have her back by midnight, that's fine," Harper said as she looked at Andrew.

"We won't go far, I promise," Andrew said and Harper smiled at him.

"Okay," Harper said. "You two finish the dishes and you can head out for a while."

"Thanks Mom," Olivia said and Harper smiled softly at her daughter before she patted her cheek and left the young couple on their own in the kitchen. "You couldn't have formed that sentence a little better than you wanted to give me a 'ride?'" Olivia asked Andrew in a whisper as he brought over the last of the plates from the table and sat them on the counter. He laughed quietly before he leaned down and kissed her temple.

"Your mother's mind when to the gutter as fast as yours did," he said, speaking just as quietly as she had. "Now I know where you get it," he teased softly and Olivia rolled her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Funny," she whispered. "So, where are we going?" she asked as she started putting the dishes into the soapy water to wash.

"Nowhere in particular," he said. "Just around."

"Really?" she asked as she looked up at him and he smiled. The look on his face told her he had something up his sleeve and she raised an eyebrow yet again. "What aren't you telling me?" she asked and Andrew chuckled before he leaned down and kissed her lips chastely.

"It's a surprise," he breathed against her lips before he kissed her once more and pulled away. He grabbed the dish cloth and walked over to the table to wipe it down. Goosebumps raced across her arms and chills went down her back as she watched him walk away. She had no idea what she had planned, but whatever it was she was looking forward to it.

* * *

Olivia was still inside, getting her coat on along with her snow boots, while Andrew made his way outside and to the trees. He jogged over to the tree line and stripped off Braden's shirt and his cut offs before he pulled the twine from his cut off pocket and secured the clothing around his left leg. In the blink of an eye he phased and changed into the large black and dark gray wolf he became every time he phased and the second his paws touched the ground, Braden's voice was in his head.

"_Heading home?"_ Braden asked him.

"_No,"_ Andrew replied before the other pack member on patrol with Braden that night spoke up.

"_Looks like he's got a date with your sister,"_ came Patrick's voice and Braden sighed heavily.

"_Where are you taking her?"_ Braden asked.

"_For a run,"_ Andrew said, making sure to keep his plans for the night out of his thoughts and locked away.

"Drew?" Olivia called and he walked out of the trees. Olivia stood at the base of the porch steps and smiled at him before she walked towards him. She had a knit cap over her head and a scarf around her neck that was tucked into the black wool jacket she wore and if Andrew could have smiled he would have at how beautiful she was.

"_PG thoughts, Drew, PG,"_ Braden said warningly and Andrew ignored him as he lowered his body to the ground. Olivia smiled at him and kissed the side of his muzzle before she walked to his side and climbed on top of him, her leather gloved covered hands lacing into his fur as she leaned forward as he stood and started running through the trees, his keen eyes sharp in the darkness. _"Have her home by ten, Drew,"_ Braden said.

"_Her curfew's midnight, Braden, and she'll be home by then. I already promised Harper," _Andrew said as he slowed to a trot.

"_Andrew," _Braden said warningly, but Andrew ignored him and lowered his body. Olivia climbed off his back.

"_Relax, Braden, we're just going out for a while. She'll come back in one piece, I promise,"_ Andrew said as he gestured with his front left paw and his head for Olivia to stay before he went a little further into the trees, the darkness being all the cover he needed.

"_I'll be waiting to make sure of that,"_ Braden said and Andrew rolled his eyes as he phased out and quickly redressed. He jogged over to where Olivia stood and smiled down at her curious face.

"Come on, I borrowed my dad's truck," he said as he put his arm around her back and carefully led her through the tree line and towards the dark colored truck that was parked right where he had left it on the side of the road.

"Where are we going?" Olivia asked again as Andrew opened the door for her.

"Be patient," he said softly before he kissed her again.

"Fine," she breathed as he pulled back from her and he grinned.

"I love that hat on you by the way," he said. She laughed quietly and rolled her eyes before she smiled up at him. Even though she couldn't see him very clearly in the limited light from the cloud covered moon, she could see the stupid smile on his face. "Get in, Liv," he said and she sighed quietly as she did as she was told. Andrew closed the door as she buckled her seatbelt.

It was only a second before Andrew was in the truck and they were on their way down the road. Andrew reached over with his right hand and covered Olivia's gloved hand with his before she turned her hand and laced her fingers with his. He didn't look at her and she didn't look at him as the comfortable silence around them remained. After about twenty minutes of driving, Andrew turned the truck down a long driveway.

"Where are we?" Olivia asked softly when they pulled up to a small house.

"This used to be my grandpa's hunting cabin," he said as he put the truck in park and killed the engine.

"What are we doing here?" Olivia asked, her heart racing as she looked at his face that was lit by the dashboard lights that were still on.

"Nothing you don't want to do, so, don't worry," he said as he ran his thumb over her glove covered hand. "I just wanted to spend some actual time alone with you for once."

"Okay," she said and Andrew turned off the lights of the truck. He let go of her hand and the two of them climbed out of the truck. Andrew was quick to take her hand again as he walked to the small one room cabin and unlocked the door with the keys in his free hand.

"Wait here," he told her softly and she remained in the open doorway. He quietly moved into the cabin and to the waiting lanterns he had had set up and grabbed the match box. He struck a match and lit the first lantern and repeated the gesture three more times. Olivia smiled as the room was slowly lit by the fire light in the oil lanterns. She closed the door and leaned against the cold wood as she watched Andrew move to the small stone fireplace and lit a fire that would eventually fill the small cabin with the warmth it seriously lacked at the moment.

While he set the fire, Olivia looked around the small cabin and took everything in. The lanterns were on small crates and in the center of the room was a thin mattress covered with a thick layer of blankets and several pillows lined one side of the mattress. Andrew stood from his squatted position in front of the fireplace and Olivia turned her eyes to him. He smiled at her and Olivia laughed quietly as she pulled her hat from her head and loosened the scarf around her neck.

"Seems like you put a lot of planning into this," she said and he walked over to her.

"A bit," he said. "There's no electricity but the toilet and the sink in the bathroom works." Olivia looked over her left shoulder to see the open door that revealed a small bathroom. It was the only door other than the front door in the room and it was obviously the only other room in the small cabin. She looked back at him and smiled slightly as her eyes met his. "It'd been a long time since any of us had come up here," he said as he reached out and started unbuttoning her coat. "It took me almost five hours just to clean the place up. I said a silent prayer for the plumbing to work and someone must have heard."

He helped her from her jacket and took her scarf and her hat from her hands before he draped them on the back of one of the folding chairs that were also in the room. He took her hand and walked over to the mattress with her before he lowered his bulky frame down to the floor after he let go of her hand. She laughed quietly and slipped off her snow boots before she climbed onto the mattress and over him so she was lying closer to the fire; that way she had the warmth from the fire on her left and Andrew's warmth on her right.

"So, I was think-," Andrew started but Olivia didn't let him finish because she kissed him soundly, her hands cradling the sides of his face as she pulled him with her and laid back against the pillows. Her hands slid to his back as she held him close and he used his elbows to keep most of his weight off of her as he deepened the kiss. Air was needed, so, reluctantly he pulled back slightly.

"You were thinking?" she asked with a grin and Andrew laughed softly.

"Yeah, I don't remember," he said as he shook his head slightly before he leaned in and kissed her deeply. Hands started exploring and soon Andrew's shirt was removed followed by Olivia's sweater, leaving the only barrier between them their jeans and Olivia's thin cotton tank top.

"Wait, wait," Andrew said as he pulled back and sat back on his knees. Olivia frowned and looked up at the ceiling for a bit before she sat up and looked at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her frown still on her face.

"I didn't . . . I didn't plan on _this_ happening tonight, Olivia," he said as he looked at her.

"Really?" she asked curiously and Andrew looked at her flushed face, swollen lips and mussed hair. If it was possible he wanted her even more, and it took all his will power to keep his hands to himself as he sat back on his legs.

"Well . . . I . . . I knew there was a chance, but I didn't expect it to happen the second we sat down," he said and Olivia smiled at him when she noticed his hands clenching and unclenching as they rested on his jean clad thighs. He wanted to touch her again, _badly_, and she wanted him to touch her again just as badly as he wanted to. "You were unsure outside. Maybe this was a bad idea." He started to move away, but Olivia was having none of that.

"Andrew," Olivia said lowly as she moved over to him, settling on her knees right in front of him, and put her hands on his shoulders before she kissed him firmly. "I love you," she said against his lips before she kissed again, but briefly, "and it's one of the best ideas you've ever had," she added with a smile.

"Liv, I don't want you to do something you're not ready for," he said. "I don't want you to feel pressured into this."

"Do you not remember Thursday?" Olivia asked her right hand going to his cheek. "I'm not pressured into anything. I want this as badly as you do because I love you."

"I love you too," he said softly.

"I know you do," she said. "So, do me a favor and kiss me already." Andrew smiled then and kissed her, his hands going to her waist, where he slowly started to pull at the soft cotton of her tank top. Olivia broke their kiss long enough to help him take off her shirt and to Andrew's surprise she wasn't wearing a bra. For a second, his eyes took her in and quickly his eyes moved back up to hers. Olivia blushed lightly and looked a little uncertain, and he knew he quickly had to remedy it.

"You're perfect," he assured her as he kissed her and pulled her even closer, her chest pressing against his. She gasped against his lips and he took advantage of that and deepened their kiss as he laid her back against the mattress and the pillows. He moved his kiss from her lips and down her throat before he made his way to her chest. Her hands found their way to his hair as she let out a heavy breath, and he took her breasts into his hands and his mouth.

Slowly, he moved away from her chest and placed kisses on the valley between her breasts while his hands made quick work of the buttons of her jeans. In one swift motion, he pulled not only her jeans from her body but her panties as well and after slipping off her socks she was completely bare as she laid on the mattress in front of him. She looked up at him and his hands slowly slid up her legs. He leaned back over her and kissed her softly as she slid her hands up his chest and to his face as she kissed him back.

His hands started exploring and aside from the crackling of the fire the only sound in the room was their heavy breathing. He knew it was Olivia's first time and it was his as well; and he had expected it to be awkward and fumbling, but everything seemed to come natural and the connection that he felt with Olivia seemed even more intense. He instinctively seemed to know what to do and not only where but how to touch her to make her gasp and sigh as she was.

Every inch of her was soft and smooth against his fingers and he loved the feel of her skin. He knew he would never get enough of her, and he had the rest of their lives to try and get his fill.

Olivia felt like she was in heaven as Andrew's hands moved across her body and touched her in ways that no one ever had. He kissed her along her neck as the fingers of his right hand ghosted across her hip before he slipped his hand between her legs. Her nails dug into his back as she parted her legs a bit more for him as he slid his fingers across the most intimate part of her body. Her hips moved against his hand and his mouth made its way back to hers. He broke their kiss and pressed his forehead against hers as she felt a knot settle in her lower abdomen.

"Andrew," she panted as she opened her eyes and he lifted his head slightly to look at her, his hand slowing slightly as he looked at her. "I need you. All of you." He kissed her again and removed his hand from her body before he moved back from her and took off his cut off jeans, pausing long enough to take the small foil packet from the pocket of his jeans. Olivia's eyes took him in as he readied himself and swallowed hard. She'd never seen a penis before and Andrew looked rather . . . big. She was suddenly nervous that was going to seriously hurt or that he wasn't going to fit.

"Relax, Liv," Andrew said as he settled himself before her spread legs and looked down at her. "If it hurts, I'll stop. Okay?" she licked her lips nervously and nodded her head before he kissed her again.

He positioned himself at her center and was doing all he could to control the trembling that gently shook his body. He was trying to play it cool but he was just as nervous for that moment as she was, and he was worried he was going to hurt her. He continued to kiss her as he slowly slid himself into her. She whimpered against his lips and her nails dug into his back once again. He stopped, his body frozen above her as he broke their kiss.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, his voice strained, and Olivia nodded as she looked up at him.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Don't stop." Andrew brought his lips back down to hers and continued to move his hips into hers. Olivia let out a quiet cry and broke their kiss when Andrew was completely within her. She pressed her face into his neck and Andrew held her close as he kissed the side of her head. She let out a shaky breath as her body slowly adjusted to the feeling and her hips seemingly moved on their own accord.

Andrew held back the small groan at the feel of her moving against him and she lifted her head slightly and kissed his jaw. Andrew turned his head and kissed her fully before he too slowly started moving his hips against hers. They found a rhythm and soon the pain Olivia was feeling melted away and the knot that had started earlier at the feel of Andrew's hand started forming once again as their bodies moved together.

Andrew wasn't sure how much longer he was going to last, but he could feel her body start to tighten around him even more. With her face once again buried in his neck and her nails digging into his back yet again, she wrapped her legs around his waist as she held him tightly in place while her body shook underneath his and she called out his name. She gripped him tight and as her body shook and pulled at him, he lost it and after a few quick pumps of his hips he found his release.

For a few silent minutes the two of them just laid there together, still entwined and panting, before the two of them slowly came down from their physical highs. They looked at each other and Andrew smiled at the sight of Olivia's flushed and satisfied expression.

"Hey," he said and she smiled up at him.

"Hey," she said back and Andrew chuckled before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Are you okay?" he asked her and she nodded.

"More than okay," she said, the smile still on her face. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said softly before he leaned down and kissed her once more. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he didn't care. He was going to enjoy that moment with her for as long as possible. He was never going to forget that night, and he was looking forward to more nights exactly like that one.

* * *

_Normal POV_

Time literally flew by and before I knew it, junior year was over, Lucas was home, and my family was whole again for the summer. "So, any pretty girls at Stanford catch your eye while you were there?" I asked Lucas as I laid back on his bed while he put away his laundry that Mom had washed for him. It was the first opportunity I had had to talk to Lucas in the two days he'd been back because 'the pack' wanted to hang out and interrogate him about his first year of college and to welcome him back to the fold.

"A few," Lucas said with a grin and I laughed.

"Have any fun?" I asked and he looked at me, his brow furrowed and his grin still in place. I raised my eyebrows and wiggled them before he rolled his eyes and shook his head as he laughed and returned his attention to putting away his clothes.

"_That_ is something I'm certainly not going to tell my little sister about," Lucas said and I laughed. "Wait, are you having _fun _with Drew?" I blushed as I propped my upper body up on my elbows and shook my loose hair from my eyes. It was impossible for me to lie to Lucas, so, I purposefully avoided the question.

"I'm not asking for details because those are images I do not need," I said with a very awkward chuckle and Lucas looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Olivia have you and Drew . . . ," Lucas trailed off and I felt my face heat and I knew I was probably as red as could be as my hazel eyes met Lucas' brown. "Whoa, okay, are you guys being careful?" he asked and I gave him a brief nod as I sat up. "Okay, forget we ever talked about that," he said before he returned his attention to putting his clothes away, slight color to his own cheeks. We were quiet for a few seconds before I restarted the conversation acting like the last minute and a half never happened.

"Okay," I said quietly before I cleared my throat and sighed softly. "So, I was just wondering if you've been _seeing _anyone."

"I've been dating, but nothing serious," Lucas said, his eyes still on his hands. "I'm focusing on my course work right now."

"Come on, Lucas, you're in college," I said he closed the last drawer before he turned around to look at me. "You're supposed to go crazy and loose a few brain cells your first year." Thankfully the weird tension that had settled between us dissipated and it was back to normal between us.

"Not if you're on a full academic scholarship and have to maintain at least a 3.0 to keep it," he said as he sat down on the edge of his bed with a smile.

"True," I said as I tilted my head to the side, letting my hair fall over my shoulder. Lucas frowned for a second before he smiled and shook his head. "What?" I asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious as I righted my head and looked fully at my brother.

"Nothing," he said.

"Seriously, Lucas, what?" I asked.

"You'll be eighteen in two months and you already know your future," Lucas said and I laughed lightly.

"And what's that?" I asked.

"Marriage and a family with Drew," Lucas said and I smiled before I laughed quietly.

"I'm still going to college, Lucas," I said and he raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you think I wasn't?"

"I thought . . .," Lucas trailed off before he sighed softly. "I just thought that you and Drew would get married after you graduated."

"It'll happen someday but I've got things I want to do before I settle down and start popping out babies, Lucas," I said as I drew my legs up and wrapped my arms around my shins. "Don't get me wrong, I love Drew, to death really, but I want to see what life is like outside of our little cocoon. I mean, the farthest I've been away from La Push is Seattle and look at you. You're in California where it's warm and the sun actually comes out for more than a few hours every two weeks." He laughed then and I smiled.

"Have you talked to Drew about this?" he asked and I shook my head.

"No," I said, "but it's a conversation that's going to have to happen soon. I've got applications to get out by the end of the summer."

"The sooner you talk to him the better," Lucas said.

"Yeah, I know," I said with a bitter smile and Lucas smiled back.

"Come on, I'm starving," Lucas said. "Let's go raid the kitchen." He stood from the bed and held out his hand to me.

"You mean you want me to cook something for you," I said as I straightened out my legs and put my left hand into his right before I stood from the bed. He laughed as we let go of each other's hands and he swung his arm over my shoulders.

"Of course," he said and I rolled my eyes before the two of us made our way downstairs laughing the whole way into the kitchen.


	16. Chapter 16

Hi everyone! I'm sorry this took me much longer to get this out than I thought it was. I had no more gotten my new computer when my mom and stepdad decided they wanted to surprise me with a visit. They came in from Nevada and ended up staying for a week and a half with me. They've gone home now, so, the next update should definately be a lot sooner than a month, probably next Friday or Saturday depending on the time I have to write. I hope you all like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing asociated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 16**

I sighed heavily as I saved my half completed entrance essay and closed the document before I shut down my laptop and pushed my glasses up into my hair. I rubbed my eyes roughly before I brought my glasses back down to rest on my face and sat back in my desk chair before I turned my eyes to the window and the heavily falling rain outside.

My conversation with Lucas a month earlier was still ringing in my ears and I had yet to tell Andrew of my plans to go to college. I should have told him a long time ago, but I hadn't found the courage to do it. Especially since I didn't know how he was going to react to my desire to further my education and see a little more than what La Push had to offer. I would come back, of course, because my life and my future was here with Andrew, but I still wanted to know what was out there.

"You missed lunch," came Mom's voice, making me jump slightly as I turned in my chair and looked at her. She smiled at me before she brought over the plate and glass of milk she carried. She sat the plate down on my desk and I took the glass from her with a grateful smile. On the plate was a turkey sandwich with all the trimmings and chips, obviously what she had fixed Alex and herself for lunch.

"Sorry," I said. "I was working on my entrance essay." Mom smiled and gently pushed back my hair.

"So, how far have you gotten?" Mom asked.

"Nearly finished," I said before I took a drink of the milk in my hand before I sat the glass down on my desk next to the plate. "I've got almost all the applications complete too."

"Good," Mom said before she looked out the window and smiled. "You better get a couple of towels while I go make a couple more sandwiches." I frowned as she looked at me and she laughed before she gestured with her head towards the window. I looked outside and smiled when I saw Andrew walking out of the trees dressed only in his cut offs before he jogged towards the house. "I'll take this downstairs for you," Mom said as she grabbed my glass and my plate before the two of us left my room.

Mom went downstairs and I stopped at the linen closet where I grabbed two large towels and followed after her. There was a knock on the door and I answered it, a smile on my face before I held out the towel to Andrew. He chuckled and took the towel from me before he stepped into the house and leaned down, pressing a short kiss to my lips as rain water dripped from his hair and his face onto mine.

"Thanks," he said when he pulled away from me. I smiled up at him and wiped at my face with the other towel while he dried himself off.

"You're welcome," I said. He smiled before he leaned down and kissed me again, that time he put his free hand on my waist and pulled me closer to him, his fingers digging slightly into my side but not enough to hurt me. I brought my empty hand to his still slightly damp chest and kissed him back. Andrew's other hand was suddenly on my body as he pulled me even closer to him and the kiss deepened.

"You two are lucky Paul's not home," came Mom's voice, breaking the two of us apart. I blushed red as I quickly turned around to look at her, and I heard Andrew chuckle quietly behind me.

"Sorry Harper," Andrew said behind me and Mom just laughed lightly and shook her head.

"Don't be. I was the exact same way with Paul," she said. "Come on in and eat. Both of you," she said as she glanced at me, her smile still in place, before she turned and went further into the kitchen. I turned back around to look at Andrew and laughed softly. He grinned before he leaned down once again and pressed his lips gently against mine. However, that kiss was far shorter than the one previous. When he pulled back, I looked at him curiously and he smiled once again.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"I just wanted to do that one more time," he said and I laughed before I took his hand and pulled him along into the kitchen.

* * *

"So, I was thinking," Andrew said as we washed our dishes from lunch.

"That's never a good thing," I interrupted as I handed him a plate to dry and he gave me a look.

"Ha ha," he said dryly as he took the plate from my hand and I gave him a bright smile before I looked back at the water filled sink. Mom had left all the dishes for Andrew and me to do while she took Alex to Kim's so he could hang out with Calvin and Mom was going to spend the afternoon with Kim to 'catch up.' That was her go to code when she was trying to keep one of us in the dark about something. Kim, Jared, and their family had been at the house the other night for dinner, and I knew that she was probably working on plans for my eighteenth birthday party since my birthday was coming up in a couple of weeks. "As I was saying, I was thinking that we could go to Port Angeles tonight and catch that movie you said you wanted to see and have been talking about for the last two weeks."

"You want to go and see the new Tyler Morrison movie with me?" I asked, surprised that he was willing to go and see a movie starring the twenty-four year old actor that every girl from thirteen to eighty was in lust with.

"I'm not saying I _want_ to see it, but I know you want to," he said with a small grin as he took the cup from my hand to dry it and I laughed quietly.

"And you'll do anything for me," I said and his grin turned into a smile.

"Of course," he said and despite us being together for almost a year and him saying things like that to me all the time, it still made me blush. Suddenly, a wave of guilt washed over me and I frowned slightly as I looked away from him and took the stopper out of the sink to drain the water now that the sink was empty. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, but I didn't look at him as I wiped out the sink and rinsed the soap from the dishcloth.

"Nothing," I said, still not looking at him as I turned away from the sink. However, Andrew caught my arm and stopped me from walking away from him.

"Liv, talk to me," he said and I sighed as I closed my eyes. I opened my eyes and turned my head to look up at him.

"I have to tell you something and I don't want you to get upset with me," I said and it was his turn to frown as he slowly let go of my arm and I turned to face him.

"What is it, Liv?" he asked, his brown eyes bearing down on me and the concern in them making me feel even worse.

"The last couple of weeks I've been putting together my college applications," I said and he let out a breath I don't think even he realized he had been holding. "I know that you probably expected me to stay here with you after we graduate, but I want to see what's outside of our sleepy little reservation town. I'm applying to Washington State and Oregon and a few colleges in California, but I'm also applying out east. I'm not going to college to get away from you or anything because I love you, Drew, I just-," I was saved from my rambling by Andrew leaning down and searing a kiss to my lips. My hands found his shoulders while his arms wrapped around my waist and he lifted me with complete ease from the floor before my legs went around him and my arms went around his shoulders.

"I'm not angry at for going to college, Olivia," Andrew said after he pulled his lips from mine while I remained wrapped tightly around his body.

"Really?" I asked, still a little breathless from our kiss, and he smiled.

"Really," he assured me.

"You can go too, you know," I said. "The pack's big enough to handle any kind of trouble that comes around. You could go to school for music or mathematics, your amazing at both. Maybe you could even get your teacher's certificate and teach music. I think that that's what you should do. You'd be able to teach the next generation what good music is." Andrew laughed, the vibrations of his laughter shaking my body as I remained wrapped around him.

"You sound so sure that I'd be a good teacher," he said with a grin and I smiled at him as my right hand started to play with his hair on the back of his head.

"I think you will be an amazing teacher," I said and his grin changed into a smile before his lips caught mine softly.

"And what are you going to go to college for?" he asked me quietly after he pulled away from my lips.

"I haven't decided yet," I told him honestly, my eyes focused on his lips instead of on his eyes. He laughed quietly once more and gently shook his head.

"You've got my future all planned out, and you haven't even figured yours out yet," he said and I moved my eyes up to his.

"Yes I have, I just haven't planned out the whole college thing yet," I said and he raised an eyebrow curiously and I smiled at him.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"It means that I don't know what I'm going to study in college and that I don't know what I'm going to do for a living," I said as I moved my right hand to the side of his face and ran my thumb along his jaw. "However, I do know that my future will someday consist of being your wife and a mother." Andrew smiled and moved his hands to the back of my thighs, supporting my weight a little better since I was starting to slip a bit.

"How many kids do you want to have?" he asked and I laughed as I shook my head and returned my hand to his shoulder.

"I don't know," I said. "How about we go with one and see how it goes after him or her, hmm?" I asked and he smiled before he nodded his head and kissed me again.

"I love you, Liv," he said as he pressed his forehead against mine and my hand found his hair once more.

"I love you too," I whispered before I turned my head and pressed a kiss to his lips. "You know, Mom won't be home for a long time with Alex and Dad and the others aren't going to be home until late tonight. What do you say we go upstairs for a while?" I asked after I pulled back from his lips and Andrew grinned.

"Seriously?" he asked and I nodded before I kissed him again.

"Seriously," I said.

"If your dad comes home, I won't make it out of the house alive," Andrew said, the smile still on his face.

"I heard him tell Mom that they won't be home until after seven and not to bother making dinner for them because they'll grab something on the way home," I said. "Come on, Drew," I said, "be a little adventurous. We can't keep sneaking off to that cabin for forever you know. We've spent more time there this summer than actually at the places we've been telling our parents we're going."

"What about the movie?" he asked me and I laughed.

"Are you seriously thinking about passing up the opportunity for sex in order to see a movie that you're not even going to like in the first place?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, when you put it that way I sound like a complete loser," he said with a smile and I giggled.

"So, what do you say?" I asked before I bit my lip. He growled quietly before he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine after he freed my bottom lip from my teeth. He kissed me deeply as he pulled my hips even tighter against his while his fingers dug into the back of my thighs. Slowly, he broke the kiss both of us panting slightly and breathless from it. "Upstairs?" I breathed and he grinned.

"Upstairs," he said before he walked out of the kitchen and started up the stairs to my bedroom, me laughing the entire way. At least until he kicked my bedroom door closed and he carried me to my bed.

He climbed onto my bed, settling himself on his knees since I was still securely wrapped around him before he leaned forward and laid me back against the bed. He kissed me softly before he removed my glasses from my face and then moved away from me to set them on my nightstand. I smiled at him when he turned back to me and sat up slightly, crashing my lips against his as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

Somehow, I managed to twist our bodies so Andrew was lying back against the bed and I was on top of him, straddling him at the hips as we kissed. His hands were on my waist and the heat of his palms felt scorching against my skin seeing as he had pushed up the hem of my shirt. I broke our kiss and wrapped my hands around his wrists before I pulled his hands from my body and raised them, pinning them to the bed above his head. Andrew looked up at me with a raised eyebrow and I grinned down at him before I kissed him chastely.

I moved my kisses from his lips and made my way along the left side of his jaw, then down his neck, and then along his collarbone as I slid my hands down his arms. His chest rose and fell quickly as my lips danced across his skin, and my hair brushed against him. For the first time, I was taking control and my hands moved to the buttons of his shorts. I continued to kiss his chest and as I started to unzip his pants, he let out a heavy sigh. The denim loosened around his hips and I kissed my way back up his chest to his neck and then along his jaw before I kissed his lips once more. As we kissed, I slid my hand in between his skin and his shorts and took him into my hand, making him gasp against my lips before his hands moved to my hips and he gripped them tightly.

"Olivia," Andrew said breathlessly as he turned his lips from mine. I continued my movements and gentle pulls while I looked down at him with a small smile as he looked at me with hooded eyes and a flushed face. He was putty in my hands, much like I was in his when the tables were turned.

He raised his hands from my hips to the collar of the v-neck dark red t-shirt I was wearing. He ripped it easily, making me gasp as my eyes widened and my hand stopped its movement. Andrew grinned as he raised up, bringing his lips to mine briefly before he kissed down my neck. I sighed as I closed my eyes and started to move my hand again. He kissed the tops of my breasts as he tore my shirt completely and pulled it off me. He was hard and throbbing in my hand and a familiar ache settled in between my legs.

Andrew breathed heavily against my skin before he pushed the left cup of my bra down, exposing my breast to the air. I shivered as his breath washed over the newly exposed flesh and just as he was about to take me into his mouth, my bedroom door opened.

"Liv, the door was open so I OH MY GOD!" Grace screamed as Andrew sat up fully and pressed me to his chest while I looked over my left shoulder at her. "Sorry!" she squeaked before she slammed my bedroom door. I took a deep breath to calm my breathing and looked at Andrew whose face was flushed dark red as he looked at me.

"At least it was Grace, right?" I asked, trying to ease away his embarrassment and he sighed heavily. "Is she still here?" I asked and he nodded.

"Pacing and talking to herself," he said. "I think we scarred her for life because she's saying that that was the last thing she ever wanted to see." I laughed lightly before I sighed and pressed my forehead to his and he smiled. "So, reign check?" he asked.

"Definitely, and you owe me a shirt," I said and he chuckled. I kissed his cheek and sighed heavily before I smiled at him. "Meet me at the cabin tonight at seven," I said.

"Okay," he said. "What are you going to tell your parents?" he asked and I grinned.

"Grace owes me," I said and he smiled. I kissed him chastely and pulled myself away from him and fixed my bra before I went to my closet and grabbed a new shirt. "After I wash my hands the bathroom's yours if you need it." He winced as he righted himself in his jeans and stood from the bed, fastening his jeans once more.

"I think I'll be fine," he said and I smiled at him as he walked over to me and kissed my temple. "I'll see you tonight," he said and I nodded before he left my bedroom and went downstairs. I tugged on my shirt and quickly went across the hall to the bathroom where I washed my hands and fixed my hair. I stopped in my room and grabbed my glasses from my nightstand before I went downstairs to see Grace sitting on sofa.

"Hey," I said and she looked at me, blushing as she stood.

"I am _so_ sorry," she said quickly. "I had no idea that Drew was over. When I saw your dad in town he said you were home, so, I thought I'd stop by. The front door was open and I just came in like I usually do."

"It's okay," I said with a smile. She sighed and sank down onto the sofa and I followed suit, drawing my legs up underneath me.

"You know, I didn't think you'd ever be brave enough to actually do anything with Drew in your house," Grace said and I furrowed my brow as I smiled.

"Why?" I asked.

"With the way your brothers and dad are, _I_ wouldn't even chance it," she said and I laughed as I shrugged my shoulders.

"I guess I'm a bit of a rebel these days," I said and Grace laughed lightly.

"I really am sorry, you know," she said.

"I know," I said, "but if you want to make it up to me you can cover for me tonight." Grace laughed and nodded her head.

"Sure," she said and I smiled at her before I hugged her. She hugged me back before she stiffened and pulled away from me. "Did you wash your hands?" she asked and I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Why?" I asked and she grinned.

"I saw where your hands were," she said and I blushed before I grabbed a throw pillow from behind me and hit her with it. She laughed and I laughed with her. She may have came over to my house at the worst possible time, but she was my best friend and I'd let it slide. After all, I was the idiot that didn't lock the front door.


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone! Thank you for your reviews and adds. I meant to have this up on Wednesday, but I didn't have time to post it and I've had a busy weekend. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twlight_.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

I laughed as I ran from Andrew, the tiny pebbles of the beach sliding under my feet as I ran along the water line. "Liv! Get back here!" Andrew shouted through a laugh and I glanced over my shoulder to see him shake the water from his hair and take off after me, peeling off his soaking shirt as he did so.

We'd been walking along the water when I actually caught him off guard and managed to push him into the water. I was fast, able to out run my brothers on occasion; however, Andrew was faster and he easily caught me, wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me from the ground. I screamed and laughed at the same time as the water on his body seeped through my clothes and my hands settled on his strong forearms that were wrapped securely around me.

"Hey! It's my birthday, you're supposed to be nice to me," I said as I remained hovering from the ground and held tightly to Andrew's chest.

"You weren't nice to me," he said, a deep rumbling laugh vibrating in his chest before he literally threw me in the air, spinning me and making me crash against his chest, my arms instantly going around his shoulders/neck and I smiled at him.

"I couldn't resist," I said softly as my right hand went into his wet hair and he sighed as he closed his eyes briefly. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his chin, making his eyes open slowly as he looked at me. Our eyes remained locked as I kissed his chin again before I brought my lips to his. His arms tightened around me and I smiled into our kiss before I pulled back.

"You don't play fair you know," he said, his voice huskier than usual and my smile grew.

"I know," I said and he chuckled before he sighed softly and lowered me back down to the ground. I stepped back from him but took hold of his hands as I looked up at him. "I'm glad you came and got me after breakfast," I said and he squeezed my hands as he smiled.

"I don't know if I am, I'm soaked," he said and I rolled my eyes before I laughed. "You owe me," he said as he let go of my hands and reached out to grab my upper waist. He pulled me close and I laughed as my hands moved to rest on his chest.

"Oh, I do, do I?" I asked him as I looked up at him.

"Yeah," he said as he grinned. He started to lean down but his lips barely brushed mine when we were interrupted.

"You know, you two were supposed to be back at the house over an hour ago," came Lucas' voice and Andrew and I both turned our heads towards the trees to see my brother standing there in a pair of basketball shorts and his arms crossed over his bare chest. He was grinning as he looked at us and I smiled at my brother before I pulled away from Andrew.

"Why's that?" I asked and Lucas rolled his eyes as he uncrossed his arms and walked over to us.

"Did you forget about your party?" Lucas asked and my eyebrows rose.

"Crap!" I shouted and Lucas chuckled. "Mom's going to kill me!"

"Right now, Dad is more worried about why you two aren't back at the house yet," he said. "He sent Brandon, Braden, and me to look for you two."

"Yeah, and I'm not exactly happy with the fact that I had to leave Lily on her own," came Brandon's voice as my two oldest brothers came through the trees, dressed similarly to Lucas in their own shorts. "It's the first time I've actually _seen_ her in a week and I had to go and look for your sorry asses."

"Sorry, Brandon, I lost track of time," Andrew said, his left hand resting on my lower back as he moved a little closer to me. I looked up at him and grinned.

"You should head home and change," I said. "One of the guys can give me a ride back to the house." He sighed before he nodded his head. Andrew had phased and I had rode on his back to the beach. I loved that mode of transportation more than any other. After riding on his back so many times I'd gotten used to it and I never felt freer than when I was riding with him.

"Yeah," he said and then he kissed my temple before he looked at Lucas. "Would you mind giving her a lift home?" Lucas smiled and shook his head negatively as he looked at Andrew. "Thanks," he said before he returned his eyes to me. "You know, if you wouldn't have pushed me in the water, I would have been able to take you home," he said and I laughed quietly.

"Sorry," I said even though my light tone clearly said I wasn't.

"Dude, you let her push you in the water?" Brandon asked with a laugh and Andrew and I looked at him.

"I didn't _let_ her," Andrew said with a scowl towards my brother and all three of my brothers laughed. I smiled when I heard Andrew quiet growl. "Whatever," he said softly before his arm left my waist.

"Hey," I said quietly as I caught his left wrist as he started to turn away from me. He looked at me and I tugged hard on his arm, bending him down slightly before I put my left hand on the back of his neck and pulled his lips to mine.

He tensed for a second before he slipped his wrist from my hand and brought his hands to rest on my upper waist. He easily took over the kiss and when I heard my brothers' laughter die down I smiled against his lips. I pulled away and looked up at him with a small smile. He grinned as he looked down at me and I winked at him before I slipped out of his grasp and walked over to my brothers. Brandon and Braden looked like they were going to be sick while Lucas was shaking his head and looked at the sand at his feet. I looked over my shoulder at Andrew and he grinned at me before he waived slightly and took off jogging down the beach. I looked back at my brothers and smiled.

"Ready to go?" I asked and Lucas looked up at me with a small smile on his face.

"Yeah," he said. "Wait here," he said before he disappeared into the trees.

"That was so wrong, Liv," Brandon said and I laughed as I looked at him.

"Now you know how everyone else feels when your lips are fused to Lily's all the time," I said and his eyes widened.

"Lily!" he shouted before he turned tail and ran into the trees, the distinct sound of fabric ripping.

"I am so glad I haven't imprinted yet," Braden said as he looked away from the trees and back at me with a small smile.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"They're totally whipped," he said and I laughed again.

"What about Dad?" I asked. "And Sam and Jared and Aunt Leah? One day you're going to find the girl you're meant for and your view on the whole thing will change completely."

"Yeah, not likely," he said before the sound of bushes rustling. I turned my eyes to the trees and saw Lucas, in wolf form, emerge from the trees.

Even though I'd known about the fact that my brothers were shape shifters for almost a year, I had yet to see any of them in their wolf forms. Andrew was the only one I had seen as a wolf and Lucas was just amazing to look at as Andrew. Lucas was a deep hazy gray with a white stomach and muzzle. Like Andrew, his eyes were exactly the same and through all that fur, I still saw my big brother.

"I'll see you guys back at the house," Braden said before he nodded at Lucas and jogged into the trees. I smiled and walked over to Lucas and he lowered himself to the ground. Like I had done countless times with Andrew, I climbed onto Lucas' back and grabbed onto his fur. He slowly stood and turned his head slightly; huffing quietly and making me think that he was asking me if I was ready.

"Let's go," I said and he huffed again before he raced into the trees.

It felt like it took only minutes for us to arrive at the house. Lucas dropped me off in the woods and I quickly raced to the house while he stayed back to phase out and tug on his shorts that he had tied around his leg. I could hear the music playing and smell the barbeque that Dad and the other guys already had going. When I reached the porch, I glanced down my outfit of jeans and loose t-shirt and realized that even though it was a casual party I was little too casual. Plus, the back of my shirt was still wet as was the front from being in Andrew's arms.

Quickly, I went inside and even though I heard Mom, Emily, and Kim in the kitchen, I quietly made my way up the stairs. My eyes were a bit irritated from my ride with Lucas; so, before I went into my room I made a pit stop in the bathroom and took out my contacts. Sticking them back in my container, I put some of my eye drops in my eyes and went into my bedroom. I closed my door and walked over to my closet it was really nice out that day, the sun was actually out and it was warm out for once. Biting my lower lip I eyed the simple lilac colored sundress that Mom had bought me a few months ago that I had yet to wear. I wasn't big on dresses, but it was a special occasion and after deciding to wear my black capris leggings underneath it I pulled the dress out of my closet.

I changed quickly and smoothed the skirt over my hips. I was glad I decided to wear my leggings underneath the dress because the hem of the skirt stopped at my mid-thigh and I would not have felt comfortable prancing around the backyard without the leggings. I made sure my locket was still around my neck and redid my ponytail before I put on my glasses and slid my feet into a pair of black flats. I left my room and ran downstairs before I calmly walked into the kitchen. Mom, Emily, Kim, Aunt Leah, and Anna (Lily's mother) all looked at me.

"Hi," I said with a sheepish smile and all five women started laughing while they looked at me.

"Lucas said they found you and Andrew on the beach," Mom said as she continued to chop the tomatoes on the cutting board in front of her.

"Yeah," I said as I walked over to the kitchen island. "We lost track of time."

"And you left your cell phone in your room," Mom said and I nodded.

"Sorry," I said and Mom smiled as she shook her head.

"It's all right," she said. "Your guests are waiting, so, you better head out back; and don't forget to let your father know you're here."

"Right," I said with a smile before I turned on the balls of my feet and opened the screen before I went out into the backyard.

"Liv!" Grace shouted happily and everyone looked at me.

"Happy Birthday!" everyone chorused and I blushed as I laughed and waved my hand.

"Thanks guys!" I said back before a warm arm wrapped around my shoulders. I looked to my left and smiled up at Dad.

"You're late," he said with a stern expression, but I could tell that he was fighting a smile.

"Sorry," I said. He smiled at me then and kissed my forehead.

"Have fun," he said before he lowered his arm and walked back over to his grills. I laughed and walked down the deck stairs before I quickly joined the small crowd that was there for my birthday. I smiled and thanked everyone that wished me happy birthday as I made my way to my friends the girls laughed when they saw my bright red face.

"I didn't know you actually owned a dress," Kelly said with a smile.

"I have a few," I said with a shrug. "I just never wear them."

"So, what were you and Andrew doing that has you so late for your own party?" Grace asked with a smile before she brought the bottle of water she was holding to her lips and took a drink. I rolled my eyes and my face only darkened at what she was insinuating.

"Not what you're thinking," I said and Kelly and Hailey laughed while Grace just grinned after she put the top back on her bottle of water. "We went for a walk and then to the beach."

"Hmm," Grace said and I sighed as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I'm not lying," I said.

"Sure you're not," Grace said.

"She's not," came Lucas' voice from behind me as he, like Dad, flung his arm around my shoulders. I smiled up at my brother before I looked at my friends and they laughed quietly. "I found them on the beach right after she pushed Drew into the water."

"How? He's huge," Hailey said with wide eyes and I laughed while Lucas chuckled beside me.

"You just got to catch them off guard," I said as I nudged my elbow lightly into Lucas' side so I wouldn't hurt my arm. However, Lucas played along and winced as he removed his arm from my shoulders and held his side and the girls laughed. "See."

"Ha," he said dryly as I looked at him and he winked at me with the eye the girls couldn't' see.

"You giving my girl a hard time, Lucas?" came Andrew's voice and Lucas righted himself as he continued to absently rub at his side as we all looked to see Andrew making his way over to us with a smile on his face. He was dressed in a nice pair of dark wash jeans and an off white polo shirt that clung to the muscles of his arms as he strode over to us.

"More like the other way around," Lucas said with a grin as Andrew closed in and wrapped his arm around my waist. The girls laughed again and Andrew smiled. "I'm going to get something to drink, you want anything?" Lucas asked me and I nodded.

"Ginger ale please," I said and he nodded before looked at the girls.

"Ladies?" he asked and they shook their heads negatively.

"No thanks, Lucas, we're good," Grace answered for them.

"I'll take a soda," Andrew said and Lucas scoffed.

"You can get your own drink," Lucas said with a grin before he turned around and left us.

"I'll be back," Andrew said before he kissed my temple. "You look beautiful by the way," he whispered into my hair and I smiled as he slipped away, following after Lucas and quickly joining him at one of the tables where they playfully pushed at each other.

"I hate you," Grace said and I laughed as I looked at her smiling face.

"Liv," a deep voice said from behind me and I turned around to see DJ standing there.

"DJ," I said with a smile. I hadn't expected to see him at the party since he hadn't come to any of my birthday parties for the last few years. "I didn't know you'd be coming."

"Well, since you're dating my brother I thought I'd show my face for once," he said with a smile as he looked at me.

"I'm glad you came then," I said and he held up a small gift bag with a swirl design on the bag.

"Where do I put this?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know," I said as I glanced around.

"Harper set the gift table up inside," Grace said and I looked at her over my shoulder to see her looking up at DJ. "I can show you where it is if you want," she said. After DJ didn't say anything for a beat, I turned my head back to look at him only to see him staring at Grace, his mouth open slightly. I realized several things very quickly and gasped quietly.

I realized that DJ had never really met Grace until that very moment. They had seen in passing of course but he'd never really paid her much attention. However, as he stood there looking at her like a fish out of water I realized that as he looked at her for the first time he had imprinted on her.

"Um, did I say something wrong?" Grace asked, her voice quiet and for once sounding very unsure of herself.

"No," DJ said quickly before he cleared his throat and forced a smile as he looked at her. "Uh," he paused and laughed nervously, "uh, would you mind showing me where I can put Liv's gift?" he asked.

"Sure," Grace said as she walked around me started to lead DJ to the house. I couldn't help but stare at them as they walked away and DJ hadn't taken his eyes off of Grace as she nervously tucked her hair behind her ears and smiled at him.

"That was weird," I heard Kelly say from behind me and Hailey mumbled her agreement just as Lucas and Andrew walked back over to us.

"What's wrong?" Andrew asked and I looked at him and Lucas handed me a glass of ginger ale. Lucas looked at me with a small frown and Andrew's expression mirrored Lucas'.

"Nothing really," Hailey said and the guys looked at her. "DJ was just acting a little weird is all."

"Weird?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, he was looking at Grace like he saw the sun for the first time or something," Kelly said and both Lucas and Andrew looked at me. I nodded weakly in agreement as I looked up at them. They looked at each other before they looked back at me and I shrugged my shoulders, not really knowing what to say.

"Oh, Caleb and the guys are here," Kelly said happily. "We'll be right back, Liv," she said before she and Hailey left the three of us on our own.

"Are you serious?" Lucas asked as he looked down at me and I nodded again. "DJ and _Grace_?" he asked.

"What's wrong with Grace?" I asked with a frown and Lucas shook his head.

"Nothing, it's just . . . she's not really the kind of girl I pictured for DJ," Lucas said.

"Yeah, well, they seem to be getting along just fine now," Andrew said and the two of us looked at him before he gestured towards the house. Lucas and I both looked towards the house and saw Grace standing with DJ near the steps of the deck, smiling and laughing at something he said.

It was one of the last things I ever expected to happen, but part of me was happy that it did.


	18. Chapter 18

Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I hope you like this chapter, and please let me know what you think. Also, please be sure to read the note at the bottom.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

"So, what's up with you and DJ?" I asked Grace quietly when she finally left DJ's side after she spent over half of my party glued to his side and talking. Grace blushed lightly as she took my glass of soda from my hand and took a drink.

"Nothing," she said lightly, but her blush only darkened.

"You sure about that?" I asked her, a teasing smile on my lips as I took my glass back. Grace tucked her hair behind her ears and glanced over her shoulder at the boy in question who was now standing with my brothers and Andrew; however, his eyes were on Grace.

"Honestly, I have no clue," she said as she looked back at me. "I mean, I can't even remember the last time I even talked to him and now . . .," she trailed off and shrugged, which made me smile.

"Well, he seems interested," I said and she sighed before she ran her hand through her hair.

"Yeah, but my parents will kill me," she said and I frowned as I tilted my head and looked at her curiously. "Liv, he's twenty-six and I don't turn eighteen until January. There's no way in hell my parents would ever go for us seeing each other."

"It's not like the two of you need to _date_ right now," I said. "You two could just get to know each other, you know, be friends and then move on from there."

"I don't know," she said with a sigh. "It's just weird."

"What's weird?" I asked.

"I can't really explain it right," Grace said and I smiled as she looked down at the ground between our feet with a frown on her face. I could see that Grace was trying to figure out what was going on in her head and what she was feeling. I knew Grace's experience with DJ was definitely different than what mine had been with Andrew.

I'd been angry with Andrew when he imprinted on me, and when I walked away from him I'd felt even worse than I had before I told him that I was threw with him. The few relationships that Grace had actually had never lasted longer than two weeks or a month, and I knew for a fact that Grace had never been in love. However, I also knew that the time she had spent with DJ probably had her feeling things she never felt before because for the first time she felt connected to a guy on deeper level.

"Grace, don't think about it so hard," I said and she looked back at me before she sighed softly. I smiled again and put my hand on her shoulder. "If something happens between the two of you, don't fight it. I know you don't know him that well yet, but DJ really is a great guy. Just go with the flow, okay? It's not like the two of you are going to get married tomorrow," I said and she laughed lightly before she nodded.

"True," she said before she grinned at me. "That's more like you and Andrew."

"Hey!" I said with a laugh as I lowered my hand and she laughed fully.

"I'm serious!" she said and I rolled my eyes but continued to smile.

"Grace, what the hell?" Kelly asked seemingly coming out of nowhere and both Grace and I looked at her and Hailey to see our friends smiling like the cat that got the canary at Grace. "You've spent the last four hours glued to DJ Uley's side. I don't even think you guys stopped talking for more than a minute. What were you talking about?" she asked.

"Just stuff," Grace said with a shrug as she blushed deeply once more while Kelly and Hailey raised their eyebrows. "We talked about a lot of things; nothing really in particular."

"He's still staring at you," Hailey said quietly and I knew Grace fought the urge to look over her shoulder and at DJ once again. I was proud of her for keeping her eyes on our friends.

"Is he?" she asked, managing to keep her tone indifferent.

"Yeah," Kelly said as she nodded with a grin.

"Now he's coming over," Hailey said quickly her eyes widening and I glanced at DJ to see Andrew with him.

"Drew's with him too," I said in a whisper for Grace's benefit since she sent me a slightly panicked glance.

"Girls," Andrew said with a grin before his arm went around my shoulders and he pulled me close. DJ stood next to his brother, but a little closer to Grace than to Andrew. Grace glanced up at DJ with a small smile; a smile that he returned with a bright smile that could rival the one Andrew always gave me. "So, what's going on over here?" he asked.

"The usual girl talk," I said smiling up at him and Andrew chuckled.

"Should we go?" he asked as he started to pull away from me and I quickly wrapped my left arm around his waist, holding him in place as I pressed myself against his side.

"No," I said slowly and he chuckled as he squeezed my shoulders. It was a bit awkward for a few beats before Caleb and the rest of Andrew's friends joined us and soon the conversation was flowing in our small group. Caleb flirted with Kelly, which thankfully took her hawk eyes off of Grace and DJ, who once again were focused only on each other as they talked even though they stood with us.

* * *

"Was I that sappy when I first imprinted?" Andrew asked me in a whisper as we sat next to each other, across the table from DJ and Grace, who were too entranced with each other to even notice that we were talking about them. We were having a late lunch at the diner, and I had taken the last bite of my hamburger. I quickly chewed and swallowed before I smiled at him.

"If you were, I was the one on the receiving end of those looks," I whispered to Andrew as I looked at him. Andrew turned his head towards me with a raised eyebrow and I grinned. "So, it wasn't all bad if you were, was it?" I asked and he smiled at me before he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"No, I guess not," he said softly as he pulled back and raised his left hand to my face and tucked my hair behind my right ear. I smiled softly at him and he ran his fingers along my jaw before he lowered his hand back to the table. I looked back at the couple across from us and I smiled to myself as I sat back in my seat.

They weren't exactly dating yet. It had only been two weeks since my birthday and they were still in the getting to know you phase. Grace refused to admit that they were actually dating, which was why every time they did something together Grace begged me to come along; and if I went with them, I brought Andrew because I wasn't about to be the third wheel and ignored all night. DJ didn't seem to mind that Andrew and I went along, and Andrew told me that DJ told him he was glad we did because Grace seemed more comfortable with us around.

Before DJ imprinted on her Grace may have been boy crazy, but since DJ imprinted on her Grace was practically a different girl when it came to guys. She was still the same Grace that she'd always been, but she was no longer talking about this guy or that guy and how cute their butts looked in their jeans. I kind of missed her comments sometimes; however, I liked the newer and tamer version of my friend just as much as I liked the old one.

"How about we go to Port Angeles to see a movie?" Grace suddenly asked as she finally tore her eyes away from DJ and looked and Andrew and me.

"Sure," I said before I glanced at the guys. "What's playing?"

"No idea," Grace said as she shook her head and I laughed.

"Why don't we decide what to see when we get there?" DJ suggested and I nodded.

"Sounds like a plan to me," I said before I looked at Andrew. "What do you think?" I asked him and he nodded.

"Fine with me," he said with a smile.

"Great," DJ said before he looked at Grace and smiled. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile. We paid our bill and the four of us went out to DJ's truck before we piled in and started the hour's drive to one of our neighboring cities.

* * *

We decided on see some action movie that had came out the week before; we were heading towards the concession stands since the guys wanted popcorn when I realized I had left my purse in DJ's truck. I didn't want someone to bust out DJ's window to grab my purse and make off with it.

"DJ, could have your keys?" I asked him as I let go of Andrew's hand and took a few extra steps towards DJ.

"Why?" he asked.

"I left my purse in your truck," I said and he nodded his head before he handed over his keys. I turned to head back outside when Andrew caught my arm.

"You want me to go with you?" he asked and I shook my head with a small smile on my lips.

"I'm sure I can manage just fine on my own," I said as I leaned up on my toes and he met me halfway before he pressed his lips to mine. "Get me some Skittles?" I asked when he pulled away. He laughed lightly and nodded his head before he let go of my arm. I jogged out of movie theater and walked down the sidewalk to where DJ had parked his truck. It was surprisingly quiet that late afternoon, and hardly anyone was on the street. Maybe I was worried over nothing, but I knew I was better safe than sorry.

Once I reached the truck, I unlocked the driver side door and opened it before I pulled forward the seat and grabbed my purse from where it sat on the back bench seat where I had sat with Grace since Andrew was too tall to fit in the back comfortably. I put the seat back in place and closed the truck door before I turned around to head back to the theater; however, when I turned around I found that I wasn't alone. I gasped and moved back at the sight of the tall raven haired woman that was standing a little too close for comfort.

"Whoa," I said and she flashed a smile at me. She wore a pair of dark large framed sunglasses on her face and her skin was the usually pale complexion that everyone outside of La Push seemed to have.

"Sorry," she said sweetly, her voice light and very feminine. "I didn't mean to startle you, I just . . . had to ask where you got those jeans."

"Oh, um, actually I got them at a shop just up the street there," I said as I pointed towards the store that Mom and I frequented that was just beyond the movie theater. "They probably still have this style in stock since I just got these a few weeks ago."

"Thanks," she said lightly. "I'm Josephine," she said as she held out her pale and well-manicured hand to me.

"I'm-," I started as I reached for her hand but I didn't get to finish nor did I even get to shake her hand.

"Olivia!" Andrew practically screamed, making me jump as I turned my head to look at him. I lowered my hand back to my side as I saw Andrew running towards me, his eyes glaring daggers and his body shaking violently as he ran.

"Sorry, love," Josephine said, her voice suddenly taking on a British accent, and I looked at her as she smiled in Andrew's direction before she pulled her glasses from her face and her blood red eyes met mine. I gasped as my eyes widened and she grinned. "We'll see each other again soon," she said. She puckered her lips and kissed the air between us before she disappeared in a blur.

"Olivia," Andrew breathed as he roughly took hold of my arms, the vibrations of his body making me shake as he pressed my back to his chest and glared off into the tress, where I assumed the woman had disappeared into. "Did she touch you?" he asked. His voice was low and laced with a venom I didn't know he was capable of and I swallowed hard. I shook my head negatively and his iron grip loosened on my arms, making me wince. I knew I would have bruises on my arms by the end of the night from the grip he had had on me. He turned me around and raised his hands to my face as I looked up at him. He was still shaking and looked like he was having a very hard time maintaining control.

"That was a vampire wasn't it?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper and I saw him swallow as he nodded curtly and ran his thumbs along my cheeks before he let go of my face and took hold of my hand.

"You were taking too long and the second I stepped outside, I could smell it," he said. "When I saw her standing with you it took all my will not to phase that second."

"I'm okay," I said and he sighed.

"I know," he said as he sent another look towards the trees. "Come on, I've got to tell DJ what happened." I nodded numbly and fell in line next to him as he kept a tight hold on my hand and walked down the sidewalk.

"Drew," I said softly and he glanced at me. "She said she'd see me again soon." Andrew stopped walking and I jerked to a stop next to him as he looked down at me.

"What?" he asked as his dark eyes smoldered with a fire that was completely different to the fire that I was used to when he looked down at me.

"She said-," I started, but I didn't get to finish once again because Andrew practically ran to the theater, dragging me along behind him.

"DJ!" Andrew shouted causing his brother to look away from Grace and frown and just about every other pair of eyes in the theater to turn our way. However, one look at my startled face and Andrew's scowl probably told DJ everything he needed to know.

"What happened?" DJ asked calmly.

"We need to get home," Andrew said tightly. "Now."

"What about the movie?" Grace asked with a frown.

"I got a call from my mom," I said, finally finding my voice after I swallowed. "Dad's sick and she needs me to come home and help her."

"Your dad's sick?" Grace asked, worry filling her brown eyes and I felt bad for lying to her. However, I couldn't tell her the truth. Not yet anyway. "He never gets sick."

"I know, which is why Mom's got her hands full," I said as I forced a smile. "Mom said he's being a big baby and won't give her a minute's peace." Grace laughed lightly and looked up at DJ who was smiling tightly at her.

"Rain check then?" she asked him and he nodded at her.

"Definitely," he said softly.

"All right," Grace said. "Let's go." She took the popcorn from DJ and ate some as she walked outside with us following. However, DJ easily caught up with her and put his hand on the small of her back as they walked towards his truck.

"Do you want me to text Brandon and tell him to have the other guys go to your place?" I asked.

"Yeah," Andrew said, his grip still firm on my hand.

"Do you want me to tell him what happened?" I asked as I looked up at him and he looked down at me.

"Yeah," he said again. "That way Paul can be on guard in case." I nodded silently as we reached the truck and once again Grace and I were sitting in back. I pulled out my cell phone as DJ sped down the road. I saw Andrew's mouth moving slightly and I knew he was quietly telling DJ what had happened outside while I started to text Brandon.

* * *

"You're not leaving this house without Brandon, Braden, Andrew, or me by your side is that clear, Olivia Ann?" Dad asked as he paced the length of the living room and I sat on the sofa with Mom. Alex was up in his room, but knew about everything that happened since (much like me) was on house arrest.

"Yes, Dad," I said dryly. DJ had dropped Grace off at home before he had dropped me off, and Brandon had given Dad the rundown before he left and headed off to the Uley's house with Braden in tow.

"How did this even happen?" Dad asked as he stopped pacing and looked at me.

"She just walked up behind me, Dad, I have no idea where she even came from," I said as I shook my head.

"What were you doing on your own in the first place?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I had left my purse in DJ's truck and I went to get it," I said. "I didn't do anything that I haven't done a millions times before."

"Why didn't Drew go with you?" he asked.

"Dad," I said as I stood up and looked up at my father. "I can do things on my own. I don't need Drew glued to my hip all the time."

"Well, you won't be doing things on your own until that leach is caught," Dad said as he uncrossed his arms.

"Yeah, Dad, I know," I said. "You've made that perfectly clear for the last hour." He sighed before he ran his hand through his hair while I turned and looked at Mom. "Is it okay if I go upstairs?" I asked and she nodded.

"Of course, sweetheart," she said and I quickly walked out of the living room and went upstairs to my room. I sighed heavily as I closed my bedroom door and flopped back against my bed before I stared up at the ceiling, my mind in a million different places. I didn't know what my little run in with that female vampire would lead to, but I could only hope that everything would turn out all right and that no one would be hurt in the process.

* * *

A/N: I know I sort of did something like this in 'Home' but there will be a little more to it in this story and I hope you all like it. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!


	19. Chapter 19

Hello everyone! I'm sorry I didn't respond to everyone's reviews, but I've had a busy week. I wrote an outtake from this story that I just posted. If you're interested it's called 'Crazy Girl' and involves Braden imprinting. I wrote it for darkhk after she sent me a PM that gave me an idea for Braden. I hope you check it out and let me know what you think of it. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think of this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 19**

School was well underway, and the vampire hadn't gotten close enough for me to worry too much, but I still wasn't allowed to go anywhere without one of the guys at my side. Thankfully, Andrew had taken over the majority of the 'babysitting' duties since school started, so, it wasn't so bad. It was Saturday morning and it was once again raining, but that wasn't so unusual.

Since things were relatively quiet, DJ had ordered the pack to continue on with business as usual. Braden and Brandon were finishing a job that had been delayed because of the beefed up patrols with Sam and Jared lending a hand so they could get it done. Braden had even imprinted. I hadn't met the girl yet, but Mom knew her. Mom said she's a very nice girl, a little troubled, but that Braden would help her more than anyone else would be able to. Mom and Alex with Dad as their escort had left about a half an hour earlier for Port Angeles to get Alex some new clothes. He'd had a growth spurt and everyone knew that it was probably only a matter of time before he joined the rest of the pack.

Andrew and I were settled on the sofa in the living room, me cuddled into his side as he held me close, and watching some movie playing on the television. However, I beyond bored and not finding the movie the least bit interesting. If it wasn't raining like cats and dogs outside, we probably would have gone to the beach; but a storm had rolled in and the light drizzle that had been falling when I first woke up turned into a downpour. There was even a little lightning and thunder, but it wasn't very frequent.

"Drew?" I asked him softly, my eyes still on the TV screen.

"Yeah?" he asked back just as quietly and I lifted my head to look at him with a small smile before I shifted my position on the sofa and straddled his hips. His dark eyebrows shot up before his hands settled on my hips while my hands settled on his shoulders.

"I'm bored," I said with a small pout and he grinned.

"Really?" he asked and I nodded. "Well, what do you want to do?"

"Let's see," I said as I tilted my head to the side. "We've got the house to ourselves for at least six hours, and it's been _weeks_ since we've been alone like this." I slid my hand down his t-shirt clad chest with a small grin lifting the corners of my lips. "What do _you_ think I want to do?"

"Remember what happened the last time?" he asked as his grip on my hips tightened.

"The doors are locked, and Grace is busy with DJ since she's finally brave enough to actually spend time alone with him," I said as I slid my hands back up his chest and pressed my hips to his groin as my hands moved to his hair on the back of his head. He groaned quietly as our bodies pressed together and through my sweatpants I could feel him already start to respond. "We're alone, Drew," I whispered, my lips brushing against his as I spoke. "Completely and utterly alone for the first time in weeks; so, do you want me?"

"You know I do," he said back. His voice had gone deep and husky and I smiled in triumph, and before I could say anything else his right hand left my hip and moved to the back of my neck where he gently forced my head forward and he kissed me hard. I moaned against his lips and his chest rumbled as he groaned and laced his fingers through my hair. "Upstairs?" he asked after he broke the kiss, both of us breathing heavily and I shook my head negatively.

"Too far," I panted before I kissed him hard again as I slipped my hands between our bodies and to the waist of his jeans. His hands caught my wrists and I whimpered as I pulled back from him. "What?" I asked as I looked at him.

"We're not making love on your family's sofa, Liv," he said with a grin and I sighed as I pressed my forehead to his for a few seconds.

"Fine," I said before I turned my wrists in his hands and took hold of his hands before I climbed off of him and tugged on his hands. He smiled at me and stood before I practically dragged him upstairs to my bedroom. The second we were in the room, I closed my bedroom door and made to kiss him, but he froze as he looked towards the window. "What's wrong?" I asked but he just moved me to the side and stalked over to my window. His shoulders were tight and his hands were in fists at his sides as he stopped in front of desk and glared out window. "Drew?" I asked and a growl came from his chest.

"Stay inside," he ordered before he climbed on my desk, opened the window and took off.

"Drew!" I screamed as I ran to the window. However, when I looked down I saw Drew, in wolf form, take off after a pale streaking figure that disappeared into the trees. I closed the window and locked it, my heart pounding rapidly in my chest. I turned around to get my cell phone from my nightstand to call my parents, but I stopped short when I saw a tall pale man with slightly long white blonde hair standing next to my nightstand. His blood red eyes were focused on me and he smiled as he titled his head to the side, his hair falling a bit in his face. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he slowly opened them again.

"Josephine was right," he said, his voice carrying the same British accent as the woman vampire that had come up to me in Port Angeles. "Once you get past the wet dog smell, you do smell absolutely lovely. Alas, you are not mine for the taking." I stepped back, but with lightning speed he had took hold of my arms, his ice like hands grabbing me roughly. I heard a howl in the distance, and I knew Andrew was calling for the other pack members. I struggled against him, but it was no use. He was far too strong for me to move even a centimeter from him. "Sorry about this, love, but I can't have you screaming and alerting those beasts of yours," he said and then I knew nothing.

* * *

_Third Person POV_

Andrew, Brandon, and Braden were both breathless and seriously pissed off that the leech had once again gotten away from them as they stormed towards the Lahote house. However, all three froze when they saw the front door was wide open. Andrew took off in run and immediately the smell of a different leech hit his nose.

"Olivia!" Andrew roared before he tore up the stairs. The scent was stronger in her bedroom and he growled as his shoulders shook violently. "She's gone!" he shouted as he turned on the balls of his feet and stormed downstairs. "The leech bitch was a diversion. She's got a partner now and it's got, Liv." Andrew took a deep breath through his nose and regretted it when the sweet smell of the vampire filled his senses; but he was taking the new scent into memory. His shoulders continued to shake as he tried to keep a hold of his emotions and not phase in the middle of living room.

"Relax, Drew," Braden said his voice tight as he put a hand on his shoulder. Brandon had gone into the kitchen to call his parents and everyone else. Hopefully, his grip on the phone wouldn't break it before he could make the calls.

"We need to get back out there before the trail's completely washed away," Andrew said as he opened his eyes.

"We should wait for the others first," Braden said.

"You two wait," Andrew said as she shook Braden's hand off his shoulder. "I'm going after her."

"Andrew, I know how you feel. She's my sister after all," Braden said as Andrew started for the door, and the younger man stopped and turned around to look at Braden.

"If it was Willa that was taken, would you be so insistent on waiting for the damn cavalry?" Andrew asked sharply, and Braden had nothing to say to that because he knew Andrew was right. "I'll follow them and when everyone heads out, I'll tell you guys where to go." With that, Andrew stormed out of the house and phased before he even stepped off the porch, leaping into the air and following the faint trail of the leech that he smelled in the heavily pouring rain.

* * *

_Normal POV_

My head was pounding, like a jack hammer in the back of my head as I slowly came to. I could hear the crackling of a fire and I could feel its warmth on my back. I was soaking wet and shivering a bit despite the burning fire behind me. I slowly opened my eyes and glanced around without moving. I realized then that I was in Andrew's grandpa's old hunting cabin; the very cabin that the two of us spent most of the last six months in whenever we'd go out alone. I was lying on the mattress that laid in the center of the room and I took a deep breath as I started to sit up. I moaned softly as my head swam at the movement and I heard a clicking sound.

"I am sorry that Bradley had to knock you out, sweet Olivia," came the voice of the female vampire and I stopped moving. I was half sitting up with most of my weight being held up by my right arm. "He probably hit you a bit more than necessary," she said. Her voice came from behind me and I figured she was settled in the chair that rested in the corner on the left side of the fireplace. "If fact, I would not be the least bit surprised if he gave you a concussion."

"Come now, Josephine, I didn't hit her that hard," the male vampire, Bradley, said as he stepped into my line of vision; and I looked up at him. "Humans are such fragile little things." He smiled at me and I glared up at him.

"You used to be one," I said, my voice rough and both Bradley and Josephine laughed.

"Maybe, but that was _decades_ ago, my dear," Bradley said, "and centuries for the lovely Josephine. Am I right?" he looked away from me and at the woman I assumed when I heard her chime like laugh.

"It's not nice to reveal a woman's age, Bradley," she said before I heard her quietly movement thanks to the rustling of her clothes. She moved to stand next to Bradley and looked down at me with a fond smile on her face. "She's such a pretty little thing isn't she, Bradley?" she said as she leaned against the man's side.

"Indeed," he said. "Thankfully the rain has washed away most of that god awful smell from her skin. She'll probably taste much better now."

"Hmm, but his scent is all over this little cabin," she said as she pushed off from Bradley and stepped a little closer to me before she squatted down in front of me. "Is this where the two of you snuck away to, Olivia? To get away from your parents and those beasts you have for brothers?"

"He'll find me, you know," I said, not answering her, "and when he does he'll rip your heads off and burn your bodies."

"Really?" she asked, titling her head to the side, her still damp hair seeming to shine in the firelight. "What makes you so sure that they'll find you? After all, the rain has probably already washed away Bradley's scent, and I led them all on a merry little chase. It would have taken them ages to return to the house only to find you gone. They certainly won't think to look here; and when they do they'll only find your lifeless body.

"Imagine what it will do to _him, _when he finds you here. A place that holds nothing but fond and happy memories will turn into a place that only nightmares can create." She paused as she laughed and I glared at her. I would not let her see the fear that I felt, even though I was pretty sure my rapidly beating heartbeat gave me away since I knew she could hear it. "You know, this was the first place that I smelled you scent. I was just passing through when I caught a whiff, and had to remain. You have no idea how hard it is for me to resist the urge to bleed you dry right now," she said before she reached forward and ran the back of her fingers down my cheek, making me flinch even though I tried not to.

"What's stopping you?" I hissed and she laughed as she pulled her hand away.

"Such bravery for a simple human," she said. "I like to have a little bit of fun with my food. I know they say not to play with your food, but I find it so enjoyable." She flashed a smile, her blood colored eyes twinkling. They weren't as red as Bradley's, so, I assumed it had been a while since last ate, and I swallowed hard at the thought. "I found you at that diner, and followed you and your friends as you went to the next town. I knew I couldn't get to close because of those beasts you had with you, but imagine my joy when you came out of the theater alone. I should have snatched you then, but that dog of yours just had to come and ruin it for me."

"He's not a dog," I argued and she laughed again.

"Of course he isn't," she said mockingly before she stood and hummed quietly. "I wonder," she said softly before she ran a hand through her hair. "You've got a bit of bite to you, don't you, love?" she asked. "Maybe you would make a better pet than just a simple meal."

"I would rather die than be one of you," I said and she just smiled.

"What do you think, Bradley?" she asked as she turned around to the other vampire. "I think she would be so much fun to have around. She could spice things up a bit and offer a little variety for the both of us, if you know what I mean," she said suggestively with a smile as she ran her fingers over his collar and I made a disgusted face at the thoughts that filled my head while Bradley smiled.

"As much as I love you, Josephine, it would be nice to try something new," he said as he looked at me hungrily, and I knew that look had nothing to do with the blood pumping through my veins. Josephine murmured happily before she kissed his neck and Bradley closed his eyes as he moaned before they started to make out.

I hazard a glance at the door while they were distracted, but I knew I probably wouldn't even get off the mattress before they would pounce on me. I prayed that one of the guys would find me soon; otherwise they would have to kill me too. Imprint or not, I would more than likely be a cold one if they were too late and the Quileute warriors would have no choice but to take me out.

* * *

_Third Person POV_

Andrew was breathing heavily as the rain pelted down on him as he ran, still following the faint trail of the leech that had taken Olivia. Braden, Brandon, DJ, Sam, and Paul had phased and joined him, but they were still a good distance out from his position.

"_Drew, pull back and wait for us,"_ came his father's commanding voice in his head.

"_Dad, I'm not stopping; and DJ you so much as even think of pulling out the alpha voice I'll rip your throat out when you get here,"_ Andrew thought and DJ knew his younger brother wasn't lying, so, he remained silent. It was then that Andrew realized where the scent was leading them. _"I know where she is!"_ he shouted in his head. _"Grandpa's old hunting cabin,"_ he said.

"_What would she be doing there?"_ Paul asked and Andrew did his best to block his thoughts, but a few PG moments slipped through, and Andrew heard Paul's growl. _"We'll talk about _that_ later."_

"_That must have been where the vamp first caught Olivia's scent,"_ Brandon thought, trying to defuse the tension radiating from his father. _"We couldn't figure out why she had such an interest in Liv, maybe it's because of her smell."_

"_Maybe, but hurry your asses up. I'm almost there, and I'm not going to wait,"_ Andrew thought before he quickened his pace. The other five wolves picked up their pace, DJ, Braden, and Brandon moving a little faster than their much older counterparts. As Andrew drew closer to the cabin, the scent of the leeches became stronger and he knew his hunch had been right.

* * *

_Normal POV_

As suddenly as they started making out they stopped and Josephine hissed before she pushed Bradley back roughly, actually knocking him through the wall and making the cabin shake. "I thought you said they wouldn't be able to follow you," she hissed and hope was rekindled.

"They shouldn't have been able to," Bradley said as he pried. "The rain should have washed my scent away." Josephine just hissed at him again before turning her hunger and anger filled eyes to me.

"Looks like I won't be getting a new pet," she said. "We'll just have to make this quick." Suddenly, she was on top of me and I let out a scream as I tried in vain to fight against her. She just laughed before she opened her mouth and started to descend on me.

A loud crash shook the cabin before I felt something sharp scrape across my stomach. I screamed again as pain ripped through my body, and I could feel my blood pumping out of my body as I laid there unable to move. Thrashing, growling, and tearing sounds filled the air as the roof gave way above me and I could see the sky as wood fell around me, some pieces landing on me, but I felt no pain. Black spots edged their way from the corners of my eyes and as the cold rain hit me my father's face was suddenly blocking the gray sky and the falling rain from my dimming vision.

"Liv!" Dad's panic filled voice shouted as I felt the wood being moved off of me and his hot hands moved to my face. "Oh, god, Olivia," Dad said as I gasped for air. His hands moved from my face and pressed hard on my stomach. I actually felt the burning pain that time and let out a small cry as I clung weakly to Dad's arm. There was blood on my hands, my blood, and I swallowed hard.

"Dad," I said weakly.

"We're going to get you to the hospital, sweetheart, just stay with me," Dad said. "Just stay with me, Olivia Ann, do you hear me?" I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore and I felt so tired. I tried to keep my eyes open, but they seemed to close on their own accord. "Olivia!" Dad shouted, but I couldn't open them and as my hands fell back to my sides, I felt someone lift me from the floor. I tried to fight the impending darkness, but it was no use and I allowed the darkness to consume me.


	20. Chapter 20

Thank you for your reviews and adds. I hope you all had a great week and that you like this chapter! Please let me know what you think and thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

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**Chapter 20**

_Third Person POV_

Grace sat anxiously next to DJ in the waiting room of Forks Hospital, and DJ held onto her hand, doing his best to comfort her despite his own worry for Olivia who was currently in emergency surgery. Harper and Paul sat across from the younger couple, both of them seeming to have aged ten years as they sat there holding on to each other. The small waiting room the group had been shuffled into was practically overflowing.

All of Olivia's family, minus Lucas who was on his way home after taking an emergency leave from his classes upon receiving the call from his father about what happened to Olivia, was crowded into the room. Despite the late hour, the Cameron's were there as were the Mallory's; even the Uley's were there, but Andrew wasn't there and the fact that he was missing confused Grace.

"DJ?" she asked in a whisper as she turned her eyes to him and he looked up from the floor and at her. "Where's your brother?" she asked and DJ sighed heavily as he laced his fingers with hers.

"Outside," DJ said. "He doesn't do so well in hospitals and right now he's so on edge that it's best he's on his own. My dad or I will go and get him the second we know something." Grace nodded her head before she sighed as DJ ran his thumb along the back of her hand.

"I don't understand any of this," she said softly as she looked at their hands.

"What do you mean?" DJ asked her just as quietly and she returned her eyes to his.

"How could she be attacked by a bear of all things and what was Liv doing out in the middle of the woods in the rain, anyway? She never goes in the woods on her own," Grace said and DJ sighed softly. He didn't know how to answer her question without lying to her on a level he wasn't exactly comfortable with doing. Grace looked at him, confused and worried for her friend, and DJ just shook his head before he finally spoke.

"I don't know," DJ said. "Maybe when she's out of surgery and is better you can ask her." Grace felt tears line her eyes once more as she thought of her best friend and the blood she had seen covering Paul before Harper had given him clean clothes to change into

"You sound so sure that she's going to be okay," Grace said, her voice shaking as she looked up at him. DJ felt his heart twist at the pain in her voice and the tears in her eyes. He hated seeing her like this and it killed him to know that there was nothing he could do to fix it.

"The doctors are doing everything they can and Liv's young and strong," DJ said. "If anything, I have faith that she'll pull through." Grace nodded before she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. DJ sighed once again before he kissed the top of her head and rested his own head on hers. Grace swallowed back her tears and took comfort in DJ's closeness knowing that if he wasn't there with her, she probably would be a nervous wreck as they waited for news on Olivia.

Grace had realized only that morning as they spent the day together that she loved him, and she had had plans to tell Olivia all about her revelation that night and to ask her for advice on what she should do. Now, Grace didn't know if Olivia would be okay and the thought of losing her best friend hurt just as much as the thought of losing her parents or even DJ now that she knew just how much he meant to her. Losing Olivia would be like losing her sister, and Grace would be lost without her more level headed friend who always cautioned her to slow down and take things one day at a time.

"Excuse me," a deep voice said and Grace sat up right as she opened her eyes. Everyone turned towards the door to see a man in dark teal scrubs and a surgical mask hanging from his neck. "Are all of you here for Olivia Lahote?" he asked and Grace looked over at Paul and Harper who immediately stood and walked over to the doctor with Brandon, Braden, and younger Alex following. Everyone else stood, Grace and DJ included but DJ didn't let go of Grace's hand, and all looked to the doctor.

"We are," Harper said, her voice surprisingly calm but laced with quiet panic that only those that knew her well could hear.

"I'm Dr. Thomas," he said. "I was one of the surgeons who worked on Olivia," he said gently as he looked at the couple.

"Doctor, how's our daughter?" Harper asked as she clung to Paul's right arm.

"Olivia lost a lot of blood and the lacerations to her stomach were relatively deep. She sustained damage to her liver and her stomach that we were able to repair in surgery. We had to remove her spleen, which had been the cause of her internal bleeding," the doctor said, his eyes going between the worried parents. "She's being moved from recovery to the ICU where she'll be closely monitored. She's stable, Mr. and Mrs. Lahote, but I'm afraid she's slipped into a coma."

"A coma?" Grace found herself asking, causing a few glances her way and DJ to squeeze her hand reassuringly.

"Will she wake up, Doctor?" Paul asked and the doctor sighed quietly.

"It's hard to tell at this point given the amount of blood she lost and the severity of the concussion that she sustained during the animal attack," the doctor said.

"Can we see her?" Harper asked.

"In a few hours," the doctor assured her with a nod of his head. "I'm afraid only four people are allowed in the room at a time," he said as he glanced around the room.

"Don't worry, Doc, we'll work out shifts," Brandon said with a forced smile to try and lighten the heavy atmosphere, but it did little to lift the tension.

"Good," the doctor said with a polite smile. "I suggest you all go home for right now, rest, get something to eat, and then come back to the hospital in the morning. Olivia's in good hands and if anything changes in her condition before you return, the nurses will call you immediately."

"I'd like to stay, Doctor, if that's okay," Harper said and he nodded.

"Of course," he said. "I'll leave you all to work things out." With that the doctor left the large group gathered in the waiting room and the all the adults in the room quickly made their way over to Harper and Paul.

"Are you still so sure that she's going to be okay?" Grace asked as she looked up at DJ. He looked down at her and nodded.

"Yeah," he said softly, his thoughts going to his brother as he tried to imagine what he was going through. The thought of their roles being reversed made DJ let go of Grace's hand before he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him where she promptly melted into his side; he didn't think he would be as calm as Andrew had been when they got to the hospital. "She has to be."

* * *

It was dark out and thankfully it had stopped raining as Andrew sat on a bench outside Forks Hospital. He was leaning forward and resting his elbows on his thighs as he stared down at the cement sidewalk in front of his feet that glowed orange thanks to the light shining behind him. His shirt and jeans were soaked through since the rain had only recently stopped, and even though he wanted to go inside, he remained where he sat. He couldn't face Paul or Harper, and everyone else inside, let alone sit and wait on word if Olivia was going to be okay. His entire body ached with a pain he had never felt before as he thought of Olivia and her blood that was on his hands.

The female leech had been right on top of her when he busted through the cabin wall and he saw red. He didn't know it at the time, but as he slashed at the leech sending her away from Olivia, his claws ripped through Olivia's stomach. His anger at the vampires for taking Olivia had allowed him to not only tear the head off the female leech with ease but the male was even easier. The others had arrived just as he was tearing the bodies into tiny pieces, but when Andrew heard Paul's anguished cries for Olivia he realized what had happened. His anger at the vampires melted into pure fear and pain at the sight of the blood covering Olivia's body as Paul lifted her from the ground.

"Andrew," came his father's deep voice and Andrew lifted his head and turned to look up at Sam. "You should come inside." The look on his father's face made the hole in his chest deepen and he felt like he was going to be sick.

"Do you know how she is?" Andrew asked as he remained sitting because he found he did not have the strength to stand. Sam sighed heavily as he sat down on the still damp bench next to his son and looked at him.

"The doctors were able to repair the damage in surgery, and her vital signs are stable," Sam said and Andrew could sense a 'but' coming and he prepared himself for the worst. "However, she's in a coma." If it was possible for a person's heart to break into tiny little pieces, Andrew was pretty sure that his had done just that.

"This is all my fault," Andrew said heavily as he put his head in his hands as tears fell from his eyes. Sam put a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder as Andrew wept, but he didn't know what to tell him to try and ease his pain. He knew no words would be of any comfort to Andrew. Nothing anyone said to him while Emily was in the hospital was of any help, and his son's situation was far different than his. Andrew didn't hurt Olivia by not being able to control his temper; he accidently did it as he tried to save her life from vampires.

"Andrew," Paul said as he slowly walked over to the pair. Andrew stood immediately and for the first time that night, Paul got a good look at the young man in front of him. Andrew's clothes were wet, his face pale in the glow of the light, and stained with his still falling tears. His eyes were red and slightly swollen, and Paul realized that while he worried for his daughter, Andrew worried for his soul mate.

For a moment, in his mind, Paul switched places with the eighteen year old and his heart sunk; and whatever 'lecture' he was going to give Andrew about what he'd done died in his throat. Andrew closed the small distance between them and looked at Paul with pain filled eyes.

"Paul, I'm _sorry_," he said heavily. Paul swallowed hard before he shook his head and what he did next was something that Sam and Andrew weren't expecting. Paul hugged Andrew and the young man stiffened before he hugged Paul back just as tightly as Paul was hugging him. Andrew gripped the back of Paul's t-shirt and Paul patted his back firmly.

"It's not your fault," Paul said and Andrew scoffed as he pulled away from Olivia's father and looked at him.

"Yes it is," he said. "If I would have never taken her there, the leech wouldn't have caught her scent. If would have been more careful, I wouldn't have _hurt_ her. All of this is my fault. She's in a coma because of _me._" Sam stood to join his friend at his son's side and when he reached them, he put his hand on Andrew's shoulder once again.

"Olivia won't see it that way," Sam said and Andrew looked at him. "When she wakes up, and she will wake up, she won't blame you for any of this."

"How can you say that?" Andrew asked and Sam sighed as he lowered his hand.

"Do you really have to ask me that question, Drew?" he asked and Andrew realized that if anyone knew what he was going through, it was his father.

"Harper's staying in the ICU with Olivia," Paul said and Andrew looked back at him. "I think you should stay too."

"I don't know," Andrew said as he shook his head. Part of him wanted to be in there, holding her hand, and the other part of him wanted to be far away from her so he could never hurt her again.

"Drew, when she wakes up, you're going to be one of the first people she wants to see," Sam said and Andrew looked at him once again. "Trust me, son, you will be a welcome sight for her." Andrew looked at Paul and the other man nodded his head.

"Okay," he said softly before he sniffed and wiped at his face, trying to rid the evidence of his tears before he went inside and to sit at Olivia's bedside.

"Everyone's getting ready to head home for the night," Paul said. "I'm going to be bringing an overnight bag for Harper, and I'll stop by your place to get you some dry clothes so you can change." Andrew nodded and Paul gave him a tight lipped smile. "Harper's waiting for you inside and she's going to take you to Olivia's room." Andrew swallowed hard before he nodded. "Go on, Andrew," Paul said before he put his hand on Andrew's shoulder and turned to push him forward.

With heavy steps, Andrew slowly made his way inside and sure enough standing just inside was Harper, looking as tired and worried as Andrew felt. Her blue-grey eyes softened when she saw Andrew and she held out her left hand to him. Andrew placed his slightly shaking hand into hers and her skin felt like ice in his hand as she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Let's go see our girl, hmm?" she asked him softly and Andrew nodded before the two of them made their way to the ICU.

* * *

Two weeks. That's how long Andrew had practically been keeping vigil at Olivia's side. The Lahote family came and went, even DJ and Grace made the occasional appearance, but Andrew was the only one that remained at her side not leaving for more than 90 minutes at the most. He only left long enough to take a shower and change his clothes in morning before he made his way back to the hospital to resume sitting at her side and holding her hand as he talked to her. Harper, Paul, and her brothers would sit with him for most of the daytime hours, all taking turns, but as night fell they would go back home only to come back the next day.

After a week, Lucas had ended up going back to Stanford. However, his parents had to convince him to go back, and it hadn't been easy. At first, he refused to leave, but Harper had told him that Olivia would hate him to fail a course (for the first time ever) because of her. She had to promise him that the second anything changed she would call him before anyone else. It was only then that he reluctantly agreed to go back. Andrew, however, refused to go to school and his parents were able to work things out with the principal. Grace brought him his assignments from school and would turn them in for him after he completed them. He did his homework while he sat at Olivia's bedside listening to the monitors beat with the steady rhythm of her heart.

Olivia's breathing tube had been removed after a few days since she was able to breathe on her own, and all the doctors assured them that that was a good sign. However, she had yet to wake and no one dared to say it but they all worried that she never would. Harper and Paul had just left and Andrew had pulled his chair closer to the bed, taking her right hand into both of his before he played with her fingers. He looked to her face and sighed softly at the pale color her normally tanned complexion had taken on. She had an oxygen tube in her nose and her once shiny hair seemed dull and limp as it rested on the pillow. Her lips were slightly chapped, pale, dry, and void of the smile that made his heart race every time he was on the receiving end of it.

"I'd give anything to see you smile again, Liv," he said softly as he continued to play with her hand and look at her face. "You need to wake up," he said before he raised her hand to his mouth.

He kissed the back of her hand before he turned her hand so her palm was against his cheek. He closed his eyes as he held her hand there and softly he started to hum. He opened his eyes and softly the words of the song he wrote for her nearly a year earlier formed on his lips.

"It might be your smile because it can change my day, hazel eyes that can chase my blues away," he said softly, his voice breaking and shaking but he continued to sin in a whisper like voice. "It might be your touch that keeps me coming back for more. Loving words that keep me going strong, that heart of hers I hang my future on. What it is, well, I can't say for sure; it's just she's got this thing about her."

* * *

_Normal POV_

I'd been in the comfortable darkness for what seemed like a very long time. I felt safe there and despite the cold that surrounded me, I didn't want to leave it. I could hear faint and muffled voices in the distance all the time, coming from the faint light that beckoned me, but I just remained lost in the dark. I was always afraid to go to them since I didn't know just what was in the light and I was content in the dark where I knew there was nothing there that would hurt me.

It had been quiet for a while, but then a muffled voice came from the light and once again I found myself drawn to it. I stood from the floor, shivering as my bare feet settled on the stone floor; however, I remained in the dark as I looked towards the flickering light that seemed to grow brighter as the voice took on a familiar melody.

I frowned and took a step forward, towards the light, and a warm sensation started growing in my chest. I sighed softly at the welcoming feeling before I took yet another step towards the light and then another. With every step the voice became clearer and I could understand the words the deep voice was singing and the sound made my body tingle from my head all the way down to my toes.

"_She's got this thing about her; like the magic in your favorite song you just can't put your finger on. In her arms when we're all alone, I get the feeling that I've come back home; she's got this thing about her. She stops time when she moves through a room, when she leaves she's always gone too soon; and I'm counting down the minutes 'til she's back. She's the love I've known eternally. It always feels brand new to me; I can't separate the fiction from the fact. It's just she's got this thing about her. She's got this thing about her._

"_Like a hymn in a cathedral hall. Watching April snowflakes fall. In her arms when we're all alone, I get the feeling that I've come back home. She's got this thing about her. Like the magic in your favorite song, you just can't put your finger on. She's got this thing about her."_

As the last soft note hung in the air I found myself standing at the edge of the light and a broken sob met my ears. My right hand was warmer than the rest of my body and suddenly my palm was wet.

"_Olivia, please wake up,"_ the voice that had been singing said and my heart felt like it stopped. Andrew. _"I _need _you to wake up. Please,"_ his voice broke as he let out another sob. My heart broke at the sound and I swallowed hard. Andrew was in the light, and if he was in the light it, the light couldn't possibly be bad; and he needed me. Pushing away my fear I closed my eyes and walked into the light.

* * *

_Third Person POV_

Andrew pressed Olivia's palm to his cheek as he closed his eyes and cried for the first time since the night the whole mess started. Through his tears he imagined that he felt her fingers move. He could almost feel her fingers curve to the side of his face and her now slightly long nails pressing into his skin as she did so as her thumb brushed along his stubble covered jawline.

"I hate it when you don't shave," came a rough and raspy voice that startled Andrew. However, there was a familiar lilt to it that made his heart jump for a completely different reason. He opened his eyes and turned his red rimmed and tear filled gaze to Olivia's face. Her eyes were open, only slightly, but they were opened and she was looking at him.

"Liv?" he asked, not believing that she was actually awake, and she smiled weakly at him. "Oh my God, Liv!" he practically shouted as he stood from the chair. He had a tight grip on her hand with his left and brought his right hand to the side of her face as he leaned over the bed. He gave her a teary eyed smile as he ran his thumb along her cheek and under the tube of her oxygen mask. "You're awake," he said, his voice heavy and she slowly blinked at him.

"You look like hell," she said, her voice raspy and tired sounding. He laughed and shook his head as a few more tears fell from his eyes.

"Yeah, well, you don't look so hot yourself right now," he said and she smiled at him. "I'm going to go and get the nurse. Stay awake, okay?" he said. "Don't go back to sleep."

"I won't," she promised as she held his gaze tiredly and he leaned forward before he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"I love you," he whispered against her skin before he pulled back slightly and looked down at her.

"I love you too," she said and he smiled as he squeezed her hand. For the last two weeks, he never thought he'd hear her say that to him again. Slowly, he pulled away from her and headed towards the nurses' station. His heart was racing in his chest and he felt dizzy from the happiness and joy that was coursing through him. He only hoped that it would last because Olivia still didn't know that it had been his fault that she almost died; and when she found out, he prayed that she would be able to forgive him.


	21. Chapter 21

So, I've been MIA for six weeks, and I'm really, really, sorry about that. Shortly after my last post, my mom got really sick and I ended up going down to Nevada to spend a few weeks with her while she was in the hospital. It wasn't really a life or death situation, she was just severely dehydrated and had a very bad viral infection. She's been home for a while and is doing much better. Since I missed a lot of time from work, my work was backed up. I've been working ten to twelve hour days the last couple of weeks, but I'm finally back to normal hours and I FINALLY finished this chapter.

Thank you all for your reviews and adds; and I really hope I didn't loose too many of you thanks to my major absence. Things are back to normal and all is well, so, hopefully I'll have the next chapter up by the coming weekend. I hope you like this chapter and please let me know what think! Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 21**

_Normal POV_

Andrew was back at my side shortly after he went sprinting out of the room and had once again taken my hand into his well before the nurse came in with my doctor following. Andrew reluctantly left my side long enough for me to be checked over and for the doctor to ask me a few questions.

I didn't know what story my family had given for me ending up in the condition that I was, so, when the doctor asked what the last thing I remembered was I just told him I remembered being in the rain but other than that things were fuzzy. He nodded and said he wasn't surprised given the trauma I had sustained to my head, but that it was good that I hadn't suffered any memory loss.

He asked me if I was in any pain or if I was uncomfortable, and surprisingly I wasn't. I was just oddly tired. I told him so and he nodded before he and the nurse finished their examination. When they were done, he said he was going to call my parents and I nodded before he and the nurse left my room. I looked back at Andrew, who was standing by the window, looking a little unsure of himself all of a sudden.

"Drew," I said softly as I lifted my right hand, it shaking slightly since my body was still so weak and it took great effort to raise my hand the two inches it was off the bed. He moved back to the bed and encased my hand in his right before he raised his left hand to my face and pushed my hair from my forehead. "How long have I been in here?" I asked since the doctor hadn't said.

"Two weeks," he said softly.

"Two weeks?" I asked back surprised and he nodded, which made me sigh heavily. "Wow. So, what exactly happened?" I asked as I looked up at him and his hold tightened on my hand. He stared at me for a moment, as if he was trying to memorize my face as he looked at me, and a feeling I didn't like settled in my stomach.

"What do you remember?" he asked after a beat as he looked down at our joined hands.

"The last thing I remember that's not fuzzy is Josephine about to rip my throat out and then the cabin shaking," I said. "I figured one of you guys did the cabin shaking and got her away from me before she could bite me."

"I did," Andrew said softly and I squeezed his hand as hard as I could, which wasn't very hard at all.

"You did?" I asked and he nodded, though he still wasn't looking at me. "I should have known it would have been you to get to me first, well, either you or Dad," I said with a smile. He lifted his head and then and looked at me, with a look in his eyes that I couldn't quite read, and my smile fell. "Drew, what's wrong?" I asked him softly and he sighed before he pulled his hand away from mine and raked his fingers through his hair.

"Olivia, this . . . all of his is my fault," he said and I shook my head.

"No it's not," I said, but he just clenched his hands at his sides as he looked at me.

"Yes it is," he said as he looked away from my face and took a deep breath through his nose. "Not only was it my fault that she came after you in the first place, but when I swiped at the leech, I . . . I nearly _gutted_ you. You almost died . . . because of me." His shoulders were slumped as he spoke and he looked completely defeated as he stood there staring the blanket's that covered my legs.

"Andrew, this isn't your fault," I said and slowly he turned his eyes to me.

"Yes it is," he said. "If I would have been more careful, I wouldn't have clawed your stomach." He turned away from me and walked back over to the window as he ran his hand down his face.

"Andrew, come here," I said as firmly as I could manage and he slowly turned back around to face me before he shuffled back over to the bed. "Please, Drew, take my hand," I said as I once again struggled to raise my shaking hand.

It was seriously getting on my nerves that I could barely move thanks to my weakened state, and the sooner I got better, the sooner I could smack him upside the head for thinking what I now knew he was thinking. Hesitantly, Andrew took my hand, encasing my chilled hand in his much warmer hand once more and I gripped his hand as tightly as I could.

"Listen to me, Andrew. _This_ is not your fault. If you wouldn't have gotten there when you did, I would either be dead or a vampire whose head you would have to rip off. The doctors were able to fix me and I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me until we're old and gray whether you like it or not."

"I would never want anything else other than that, Liv," Andrew said as his hold tightened on my hand and tears lined his eyes. "I just . . . your stomach . . .," he trailed off and I sighed as I looked up at him.

"So I'll have a few scars," I said. Those scars would probably bother me for a little while, but compared to Emily I got off easy. I would have no right to complain because I would be able to hide them easily; Emily and Mom couldn't exactly hide the scars that marred their faces. "It's not like I go around wearing belly shirts or something. I'll be able to hide them and no one will be the wiser. Drew, I love you, and I don't want you blaming yourself for this."

"I'll try," he said his voice husky as a few tears rolled down his cheeks as he raised his right hand to my face and ran his thumb along my cheek.

"Try hard because once I'm back on my feet, I'll use Alex's baseball bat to knock some sense into you if you don't," I said with a soft smile and Andrew chuckled through his tears. "Now, before my family comes storming in, will you please kiss me?" I asked and with a smile on his face Andrew nodded his head and leaned into me before he barely brushed his lips against mine and started to pull back. "You call that a kiss? I wake up from a two week coma and all you give me is-," I made to continue, but Andrew leaned forward once more and pressed his lips to mine more firmly, silencing whatever it was I had been about to say. I forgot seeing as Andrew always had the ability to do that whenever he kissed me.

"Better?" he asked in a whisper when he pulled his lips back from mine and I opened my eyes lazily before I smiled.

"Much," I said as I looked at him and he smiled fully as he once again ran his thumb along my cheek. "I love you, Drew," I said again softly as I looked up at him and he sighed before he pressed his lips to mine briefly.

"I love you, too," he said before he pressed his forehead to mine. I closed my eye content at the familiar warmth of Andrew surrounding me as I laid there. I knew that he would never forgive himself for what happened, much like Sam had yet to forgive himself for what happened to Emily, but I would do my best to show him that I didn't blame him because I didn't. If anything, in the end he saved my life.

"Olivia!" came Mom's tired and rushed voice, effectively breaking Andrew and I apart before the two of us looked to the door to see Mom, Dad, Braden, Brandon, and Alex all standing there. Andrew stepped away from me as Mom rushed over and hugged me tight, making me wince.

"Harper, be careful," Dad chided softly as he gently pulled Mom away from me before he put his hand on my left shin, a relieved smile on his face. "How are you feeling, Liv?" Dad asked.

"Good," I said, "a little tired, but good otherwise."

"Tired? You've just slept for two weeks, Livy," Brandon said with a grin as I looked at him. He was teasing me, of course, but like with the rest of my family I could see the relief in his eyes.

"I guess I'm finally taking after you then because everyone knows you could go back to bed the second you get out of it," I said and he rolled his eyes as his grin remained on his face.

"Yeah, she's fine," he said before he sat down in the chair that rested in the corner of the room.

"Did you call Lucas?" I asked with a smile as I looked at Mom and Dad. Mom had tears in her eyes as she reached out and ran her hand through my hair.

"I called him while your father drove," she said with a heavy sigh. "He's beyond relieved and I told him you'd talk to him tomorrow morning."

"Good," I said softly before I looked at Andrew. He smiled at me before he moved back to my beside and rested his hand on the side of the bed. Mom then sat down on the edge of the bed and took my hand before she started going on about everything that I'd missed while I'd been unconscious with everyone else filling in a few of the details she missed.

* * *

"Guys, seriously, I'm fine," I said as Mom and Andrew both fussed around me after I had been settled in my new room the next morning. I had gained a bit more strength since I'd woken up the day before, but I wasn't at full strength yet.

My movements were slow of course but I was able to lift my arms and hands with more ease. The shook a bit at the effort, but I moved through it. Against the nurse's advice, I tried to move myself into the wheelchair as I was taken out of the ICU, but my legs weren't quite ready to bare my weight yet and if Andrew hadn't been at my side I would have collapsed in a heap. I would be starting physical therapy the following afternoon, and the doctors figured I'd probably be as good as new in another week or two at the most.

"Sorry, sorry," Mom said as she released the covers she had been messing with, and I couldn't help but smile at her before I looked at Andrew.

"Shouldn't you have gone back to school today?" I asked him and he sighed as he shook his head negatively.

"Not until you go back," he said and I rolled my head.

"Andrew," I said with a heavy sigh. "I can always tell DJ to use the Alpha voice on you and order you to go back to class."

"That is one order I doubt he'd obey if DJ would actually give it," came Dad's voice from the doorway and the three of us looked at him as he walked in plastic bags in hand. "I brought you some contraband," Dad said as he sent a glance over his shoulder and sat the two bags down on the tray that was resting over the foot of my bed.

Slowly, he started showing me the items in the bags and with each item my smile grew. A bag of skittles, a package of snack cakes, kettle chips, and various other junk food items that caused Mom to hum as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Dad with a tilt of her head and raised eyebrows. Chips and other forms of junk food were treats that Mom rarely bought, and I doubted that she was very happy with Dad buying me nothing but.

"What?" he asked with a grin and Mom just chuckled before she uncrossed her arms and moved over to stand beside Dad, who smiled at her as he threw his arm around her waist as they looked at me.

"Thanks Dad," I said and he winked at me.

"Grace has been keeping track of all your assignments and I have them at home," Mom said and I nodded. "I'll bring a little in everyday so you can work on it, and by the time you head back you'll be all caught up."

"Way to bring down the happy mood, Harper," Dad said as he looked at Mom and Andrew and I laughed quietly.

"Well, she's going to need to get it done if she wants to pass her classes this semester so she can graduate in the summer," Mom said as she looked at Dad, who smiled at her before he kissed her temple. Andrew took hold of my left hand and ran his thumb over the back of my hand in a soothing motion that was comforting and more than welcome as Mom and Dad chatted; but my thoughts strayed from the conversation and to the boy holding my hand.

Andrew had once again stayed with me the night before and though he was there, it didn't feel like he was actually _there_. I mean, he held my hand and talked to me about anything and everything, but it just felt different. I knew his guilt was still eating at him, and no matter what I had told him the night before it hadn't sunk in. He wasn't trying very hard, at least in my opinion, to let go of his guilt; and I didn't know what else I could say to get him to understand that I truly didn't blame him.

"Lucas is going to fly up this weekend," Mom said suddenly, drawing me from my thoughts and I blinked and looked at her.

"He is?" I asked and she nodded.

"He'll get in Friday night, but it'll be almost midnight by the time he gets here, so, he'll be up to see you first thing Saturday morning," she said and I smiled. "He doesn't have classes until Tuesday, so, he'll be here until Monday."

It was going to be nice to see Lucas, and maybe I could talk to him about what was going on with Andrew. I knew Sam probably tried talking to Andrew about it, but like with me he didn't listen. Maybe if Lucas said something to him he truly would understand because though I was close to all my brothers Lucas was the one who I confided everything in. I just hoped that it would work.

* * *

That afternoon, Grace and DJ made their way into my room. Mom and Dad left shortly before they got there because Mom needed to get home for Alex who would be getting home from school and Dad had some invoices he needed to finish up for Sam that they needed to get out that week.

"Oh, Liv, I'm so glad you're all right!" Grace said as she rushed over to my bedside and sat down on the edge of the bed before she hugged me. I hugged her back, internally wincing as the movement made my stomach pull; but I needed to hug my best friend to assure her that I was okay. "What in the hell were you doing outside in the middle of the woods on your own? Especially in the rain," Grace said with a shake of her head and I sighed before I glanced at DJ who shifted his stance at the end of my bed. He hadn't told her about the legends we grew up hearing being real yet.

"I thought I heard a wounded animal," I said as I laid back against my pillow and looked at her eyebrows because I couldn't look her in the eyes and lie to her. "It sounded like a dog or something, but it turns out it was a foraging bear." I glanced at my hands in my lap before I looked up at her with a pathetic smile as I shrugged. "I learned my lesson." Grace shook her head with a sigh.

"I'm just glad you didn't _die_," she said, her voice wavering a bit as she took hold of my hand. "I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I lost my best friend."

"Don't worry, Grace, I'm not going anywhere," I said and she smiled at me.

"Good," she said as she squeezed my hand. "Oh, I have some things for you," she said before she let go of my hand, stood from my bed and moved over to DJ who was holding her backpack for her. She smiled at him and took the bag from him before she moved over to the chair and sat her bag down as she started rummaging through it.

"_You need to tell her," _I mouthed as I looked at DJ and he sighed through his nose as he nodded, his expression telling me that he knew he needed to tell her and soon.

"Here you go," Grace said and I frowned as I looked at the stack of what looked like cards in her hands.

"What's all this?" I asked and she laughed.

"Get Well Soon cards from the entire school and the teachers," Grace said. "Everyone found out you woke up and wanted to wish you well and to let you know they were thinking of you. They kept giving them to Alex and me all day, and Alex gave me half of that stack before he got on the bus."

"Wow," I said with a small laugh as I looked at Grace and then the guys. "Who knew I was so popular?" I asked and they all laughed.

"Guys, do you think I could have a few minutes with my best friend?" Grace asked as she looked at DJ and Andrew. Andrew looked at me and I smiled at him before I nodded my head, telling him to go, and after half a second DJ put his hand on Andrew's shoulder.

"Come on man, let's go see what magazines they have in the gift shop for Liv," he said and Andrew nodded before the two of them left the room. I looked at Grace and frowned slightly at the expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I sat the cards down on my lap and she shook her head.

"Nothing," she said. "I'm just so glad you're awake because I've had no one to talk to about this for the last two weeks. I know you just woke up, but I'm dying to talk to you about this."

"Grace, I woke up yesterday and other than my body being a little week, I'm fine," I said with a small smile. "So, what is it?"

"I'm in love with DJ and I don't know what to do," she said and my eyebrows rose as she sat back down on the right side of my bed. "I haven't even kissed him."

"You haven't?" I asked, unable to stop the question from coming out of my mouth, and Grace shook her head negatively. That surprised me because I thought they had at least kissed each other, especially since they'd be 'dating' for almost three months now.

"No," she said. "I've come close a few times, but always chicken out at the last second and kiss his cheek. I'm starting to think that he's not as interested as he used to be."

"Why would you think that?" I asked.

"Because he hasn't tried to kiss me when I freeze," she said with a sigh as she picked at the nails of her left hand with her right.

"Grace," I said with a sigh of my own and she looked at me then. "I've seen the way DJ looks at you. Trust me when I tell you that he practically worships the ground you walk on. He's probably hesitant because he knows that your parents wouldn't exactly approve of you being in a relationship with him since he's nine years older than you are. He's willing to wait until you're truly ready to make your relationship official. Right now, he's content to be your friend, being someone you can count on. He won't pressure you for anything, Grace. He wants you and you alone to decide when you're ready to call him your boyfriend."

"What if I'm ready now?" Grace asked, her face thoughtful, and I smiled at her.

"Then tell him," I said. The answer was obvious, but knowing Grace the way I knew her she needed to have someone else open up her eyes to what was right in front of her.

"How?" she asked and I laughed only to wince as the jostling of my stomach was too much for me and I put my hand on my stomach as I cringed. "Liv, are you okay?" Grace asked, slightly panicked, as she stood from the bed. "Do I need to get the nurse or your doctor?" she asked and I shook my head as I composed my face and tried to smile.

"No," I said. "I'm fine. I just shouldn't have laughed so hard." I lowered my hand and rested it once again on the cards in my lap. "You can just tell DJ how you feel about him and that you want to be with him or you can show him by not chickening out and actually kiss him."

"How can you sound so sure that you're right, Liv?" she asked. "How can you be so positive that DJ really wants to be with me?"

"You can thank my connection with Drew for that," I said vaguely. "DJ may seem like he keeps things close to his chest, but he . . . tells Drew a lot; and of course when I ask him Drew really can't keep a secret from me."

"Oh, that I know," she said and I smiled at her. "He never left you know," she said after a beat.

"Who?" I asked.

"Drew," she said. "I think the only time he actually left during the day was when Harper would come to the hospital in the morning. He would run home for a shower and to change clothes before he was right back here. I was worried about him."

"I'm worried about him now," I said and Grace frowned.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because he thinks this whole thing is his fault," I said and Grace's frown only deepened. "We were supposed to go out the night of the bear attack," I said looking down at my hands. "He ended up having to do something for Sam, so, I was on my own that night. He thinks that if he had been with me, I wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"That's crazy," Grace said and I looked at her with a small smile.

"I know," I said and Grace sighed before she smiled back at me.

"I guess both of us are having a few boy issues at the moment," she said and my smile grew.

"Yeah, I guess we are." She nodded and I glanced out the window and the gray covered sky before I looked back at my best friend. "So, have I missed any interesting gossip while I've been out of it?" I asked, wanting a lighter topic of conversation and Grace grinned before she started telling me about the latest 'hook ups' and 'break ups' of La Push High School; and though I really couldn't have cared less, it was a very welcome distraction for a little while.


	22. Chapter 22

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your reviews and adds. Sadly, I do believe that the next chapter will be the final chapter of 'Look at Me.' I've had so much fun writing this story, and I've been very blessed to have such awesome readers that have stuck with me through absenses thanks to real life getting in the way of writing. I hope you all like this chapter (and to warn you it's mostly a Grace/DJ chapter). Please let me know what you think, and to my fellow Americans Happy Thanksgiving since I know I won't be posting before Thursday. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 22**

_Third Person POV_

Grace was relieved that Olivia was _finally_ up and well, and now that she had heard her best friend's prospective on where she stood with DJ. She knew her parents would flip out, but they'd kept their friendship a secret for so long (even Kelly and Hailey didn't know they were seeing each other) that she was pretty sure that she could still keep it a secret until her birthday in a few months.

She was sitting in the front passenger seat of DJ's truck as they drove back to La Push after leaving Andrew with Olivia since he still refused to leave her side. When the boys had come back with a small stack of magazines for Olivia, Grace finally saw what Olivia saw when she looked at Andrew. The emotion that was in his eyes as he looked at Olivia was deep and the guilt was easy for her to see. Taking a slow deep breath through her nose, Grace turned her head to look at the young man beside her.

His eyes were on the road and she took a moment to study him. She noticed his body was tense and his grip on the steering wheel was so tight, she was pretty sure he was going to break it. Frowning slightly, Grace turned in her seat a bit and tilted her head.

"DJ, are you okay?" she asked him and he glanced at her.

"Yeah," he said quietly as he looked back at to the road and adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you look _really_ tense," she said and DJ sighed before he started to slow the truck and pulled over on the side of the two lane highway. Daylight was fading away and it wouldn't be long before it would be too dark for her to clearly see him, but the pensive and nervous expression on his face as he turned off the engine and looked at her didn't make her feel any better.

"There's something I need to tell you, Grace, and I'm scared shitless to do it," DJ said and Grace blinked as she looked at him. Her mind came up with only a few things that he could possibly tell her and none of them were good. She felt her stomach sink as she sighed softly and looked down at her hands. "Grace," he said before he reached out with his right hand and gently took hold of her left hand. Slowly, her eyes followed up his strong muscular arm to rest with his beautiful brown eyes that she felt like she could look into forever. "I just . . . I don't want to lose you."

"What is it, DJ?" she asked softly before she turned her hand that was encased in his to return the hold he hand on her hand and he sighed as he squeezed her hand tightly. He opened his mouth, but he said nothing before he sighed, let go of her hand, and climbed out of the truck. He slammed the driver's side door shut before he walked down the road a little, coming to a stop about twenty feet in front of the truck.

Grace sat in the cab for a second, confused, as she watched him stop with his back to the truck before he raked both of his hands through his hair, intertwining his fingers, and resting his hands on the back of his neck. Sighing quietly, she climbed from the truck, and made her way over to him.

"DJ, what's going on?" she asked and he lowered his hands before he quickly turned around to look at her.

"How do you feel about me?" he asked and Grace felt her cheeks heat as she looked up at him, her eyes going wide. He took half a step closer to her and she saw his hands clenched tightly at his sides. "Am I just your friend or am I something more?"

"Well," she said before she nervously cleared her throat and took a deep breath. She was never a bumbling mess when it came to guys, but with DJ it was very, _very_, different. She always felt like she was going to say the wrong thing when she was around him, but he always managed to put her at ease with a simple smile or a gentle touch against her hand. Seeing the nervousness in her eyes and hearing her heart begin to race in her chest he had no doubt that he already had his answer.

In one smooth step, he closed the distance between them before he took her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. Grace stiffened for not even half a second before she threw her arms around his shoulders and kissed him back just as heatedly as he was kissing her. DJ's right arm was wrapped tightly around her slim figure and gripping her right hip as he all but lifted her from the ground as they kissed and his left hand had found the right side of her face.

"I love you," he said as he pried his lips from hers and looked down at her; and she smiled up at him as happy tears lined her eyes.

"I love you too," she said breathlessly and he smiled once again before he kissed her once again, but that time his lips were not as demanding and much gentler against hers. She giggled into the kiss and tightened her arms around him, making him lift her from the ground as he righted his body. Grace broke the kiss with a smile on her face as she looked into his eyes as he held her with ease from the ground.

DJ wanted to just live in that moment with her for forever. The smile that was on her face as she looked up at him was something he would always remember and her telling him the four words he had hoped to hear after his confession would always be engrained in his mind. However, he knew that he couldn't until he told her _everything_. He tried to smile at her in return, but he was pretty sure it was more of a grimace and Grace noticed.

"What's wrong?" she asked as her right hand moved to his left cheek. She was no longer nervous about touching him, and would do it as often as she could, especially since he was so comfortingly warm.

"There's something else I have to tell you, Grace," he said softly as he slowly lowered her back to the ground.

"What?" she asked as her hands gripped his forearms since he still had hold of her upper waist.

"Not here," he said. "Will you go to First Beach with me?"

"It'll be dark soon," she said.

"I'll have you home by your curfew or sooner," he said and Grace looked up at him and the slight desperation in his eyes.

"All right," she said and he nodded.

"Okay," he said softly. "Let's go." They went back to the truck and climbed in before DJ started driving once again.

* * *

The sky was almost completely dark by the time the two of them reached the beach and DJ had pulled a blanket from the backseat of his truck's cab as they climbed out of the truck. Grace met him at the front of the truck and he wrapped the warm black fleece blanket around Grace's shoulders to be sure that she was warm, earning a small smile as she looked up at him. Hopefully, when he finished telling her everything he would still be on the receiving end of that smile.

He smiled back before he took her hand and led her towards the sand and the sound of the waves gently crashing against the shore. He took her to a large log resting near where they had had several beach bonfires over the years and he made sure she was settled on the log before he sat down next to her. They just sat there for almost ten minutes, neither one saying anything, and DJ was just staring out at the water, his body leaning forward while his elbows rested on his thighs and his hands clasped together in between his knees.

"Okay, DJ, I'm starting to freak out here," she said and DJ finally looked at her. "What is it?" she asked for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last thirty minutes. DJ sighed and looked down at his hands. He rubbed them together as he righted his posture and rested his hands on his thighs before he took a deep breath and turned his eyes to Grace.

"After I tell you, do you promise not to run away?" he asked her and Grace furrowed her brow. "I don't want you to get lost in the trees."

"O-okay, I promise," she said softly, confused as to the request but making the promise all the same.

"I know you're not Quileute," he said softly, "but you know about our legends don't you?"

"I know a few of them actually," she said with a wayward grin. "Liv's a little obsessed with them and she likes to share."

"Yeah," he said with a chuckle. "She is, isn't she?" he asked and Grace nodded. "So, I'm assuming you know all about how we're supposedly descended from wolves." Grace nodded once more. "Do you know of Taha Aki then and how he was the alpha of the tribe's warriors and protectors? How they protected our people from the 'cold ones?'"

"Yes," she said slowly.

"What would you say if I told you that the legends weren't just legends? What if they were real?" he asked and Grace's frown melted away and she laughed quietly.

"I'd say you were insane," she said, thinking he was joking, as she laughed softly once more. However, his face remained serious and he sighed heavily before he looked back out at the water. Grace's laughter died when she realized that he really wasn't kidding. "DJ?" she asked and he looked at her once more, his gaze uncertain. "You're serious?" she asked and he nodded, which made Grace look away from him. Not knowing what else to say or do she just stared off into the dark horizon.

DJ didn't say anything as he sat beside her, watching the profile of her face to try and gage what was going on in her head but he wasn't have much luck. Her face was completely blank and even with his perfect sight he couldn't make out one emotion on her face.

"So, you . . . you turn into a wolf?" she asked after several more beats of silence, but she continued to stare out in front of her.

"Yes," he said softly so he wouldn't frighten her off.

"Does . . . does Drew?" she asked as she turned her head to face.

"Drew, Brandon, Braden, Lucas, and several others," he said. "Liv didn't know, until last year, so, don't hold it against her that she never told you; and when she finally did find out she _couldn't _tell you because we're not supposed to expose ourselves."

"Then why are you telling me?" she asked.

"Because . . . I . . .," DJ trailed off, he wasn't sure if he should continue since he had no idea how she was actually taking in everything. Grace shook her head before she stood, shrugged off the blanket, and started walking away. "Grace, wait," DJ said as he rushed after her, gently grabbing her arm and turning her to face him. She stiffened, but turned to look up at him. "You promised you wouldn't run off."

"I'm not running off," she said. "I'm walking away." She pulled her arm from his grip and started walking once again. DJ sighed heavily before he ran his hand through his hair and then down his face before he jogged after her and fell in line beside her.

"I don't care if you're pissed off at me right now, I'm not letting you walk off on your own," DJ said when Grace shot a glare at him. She stopped then and turned to face him.

"Liv wasn't attacked by a bear was she?" Grace asked. "Drew's the reason she's in the hospital, and it's because of him she almost died."

"How . . .?" DJ asked and Grace crossed her arms over her chest.

"Liv said that Drew blames himself for the 'attack.' I put two and two together, DJ," she said.

"What you said is partially true, but it didn't happen like you think," DJ said and tilted her head to the side as she glared at him.

"Explain it to me then," she said and he sighed through his nose.

"Remember when we went to Port Angeles and we were going to see a movie, but Liv told you that we had to get home?" he asked and she nodded. "Well, it wasn't because Paul was sick. Paul hasn't been sick since before he changed when he was sixteen. It was because a vampire approached her and Drew's need to protect her went into overdrive." Grace's face paled slightly as she uncrossed her arms. "After that we were on high alert because it promised to come after her."

"She was attacked by a vampire?" Grace asked breathlessly.

"Yes and no," he said. "The vampire that approached her in Port Angeles had a partner and when Drew was with Liv, she played him. Lured him outside and got him to chase after her while her partner grabbed Liv while she was alone for the first time in weeks.

"We went after them, and Drew got to them first. One of them was about to bite her, to either kill her or turn her only Liv knows and we haven't asked yet. When Drew busted in, he swiped at the vampire that was about to sink its teeth into her and when he did, he caught Liv's stomach with his claw. Her blood distracted the other one enough that Dad and I were able to take him down while Drew took care of the one that had been after Liv."

"Oh my God," Grace said as she looked up at him.

"That's the first time we've actually had to take out a vampire since I changed ten years ago," DJ said. "They don't come around here too often, but they're out there and when they do, we have to protect our people and those we love," he said as he raised an unsure right hand to the left side of her face and relief filled him when she didn't pull away; however, he was still worried she would run away.

"Why are you telling me all this?" she asked again. "Why are you cluing me in on all of this when I'm obviously not supposed know any of this?" she asked as she brought her hands to his wrist and pulled his hand from her face.

"Did Liv ever tell you about Taha Aki's Third Wife?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she said. "Liv said that she was his soul mate; that one look at her and he knew that . . ." Her hands tightened around his wrist as she blushed and looked up at him. "At Liv's party when . . . I . . ."

"If there's a question in there, the answer is 'yes,'" he said. "We call our soul mates, our imprints because the moment our eyes meet our souls connect. We are whatever she needs whether it be a brother, a friend, or a lover; but we will _always_ be her protector."

"So . . . when you . . . when you looked at me that day at Liv's, you imprinted on me?" she asked her hands unconsciously sliding up his wrist and wrapping around his much larger hand. He nodded, unable to say anything since he was worried things weren't going to go the way he hoped.

It was then that Grace did something he truly wasn't expecting when she let go of his hand and jumped in place before she locked her arms around his neck. Instinctively he grabbed her to keep her from falling and she wrapped her legs around his waist before she kissed him. Her right hand slid into his hair and his hands settled on the back of her thighs as he held her in place and kissed her back. Slowly, she pulled her lips from his and her hands cupped his face as she smiled at him. She'd gone from worried, to pissed, to kissing him senseless; and in all honesty he couldn't have cared less as to how they got there as long as she kissed him like that again.

"I knew there was something different about this," she said, "about us. I could feel it."

"You could?" he asked and she nodded as she ran her thumbs across his cheeks.

"I've never felt anything like this before, and Liv . . . Liv was so sure that things would work out between the two of us," she said. "She knows doesn't she?"

"She knew the moment she saw the way I looked at you," he said. "She's Drew's," he added and Grace smiled.

"I figured as much," she said and DJ grinned. She leaned in and kissed him again, but it was more like a ghost of a kiss across her lips. "I love you," she said for the second time that night and DJ was beyond grateful to hear it again.

"I love you too, Grace, and I always will," he said and Grace smiled at him as he closed the short distance between their lips and he kissed her fully.

* * *

_Normal POV_

After two weeks of the torture that was physical therapy, I walked out of Forks Hospital and out to Mom's car. Mom had gone out to warm it up since it was the beginning of November and the cold had settled in. Andrew had remained at my side as I walked out to make sure I didn't fall. I was supposed to have been escorted out in a wheelchair, but now that I could walk on my own, I had no intentions of ever being pushed around in a chair again.

Andrew was still emotionally distant even though he barely left my side the entire time I was in the hospital. He even sat in on my physical therapy sessions and he watched my therapist, a nice guy named Will, like a hawk. He was pleasant enough with him, but he didn't necessarily like him especially when he helped me stretch my legs. By some sort of miracle and with Andrew's help I was able to complete all the assignments I had missed, so, I would be caught up with everything when I went back to school on Monday.

I'd met Braden's girlfriend, Willa, and I really liked her. She wasn't really what I had been expecting, but she was a very pretty girl. From what Braden and Mom had insinuated, she hadn't had an easy life. I knew from personal experience that things would only get better for her now that she and Braden were together. She just needed to be let in on Braden's furry little secret, like DJ finally told Grace. Since Grace was now in the know, I was relieved that I no longer had to lie to her about it all.

Once I was home, Andrew insisted on carrying me up into my room since I was exhausted and wanted to take a nap. I was surprised when Dad made no argument about it and let Andrew take me upstairs. He settled me on the edge of my bed, kissed my forehead, and made to leave but I stopped him.

"Drew, please," I said as I reached out for him and took his hand. "Where are you?" I asked and he frowned as he turned to face me fully.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "I'm right here."

"Yeah, you're here physical, but you're not here mentally," I said as I tapped my left temple with my hand before I stood and looked up at him. "We've talked about this, Drew. None of this was your fault."

"Liv," he said softly and I squeezed his hand.

"Don't," I said. "_None _of this was your fault. None of it and you holding me at arm's length is only hurting both of us. It's not helping or solving anything. I love you, Drew, and nothing you can try to say to me to convince me to stop is going to work. You're as much of my world as I am yours and I _hate _seeing you this way. My heart actually hurts, Drew; so, please get your head out of your ass because I can't take this anymore." Tears filled my eyes as the words I had been holding in for two weeks finally came pouring out of me. "I didn't die, Drew, I'm standing right here in front of you. I'm still breathing and my blood is still pumping in my veins, but my heart is breaking." A quiet sob escaped my lips as the tears came in earnest. I saw panic fill Andrew's face before I let go of his hand and covered my face with my hands as I turned away from him.

I knew my family, at least my older brothers and Dad, probably heard what I just said to Andrew since my tone wasn't exactly quiet and my bedroom door was open. I didn't care though, they knew what I was feeling, and they knew how hard I've been trying to get Andrew to see reason.

"Olivia," Andrew said before I felt his warm hands on waist as he carefully caressed my sides. The stitches had been removed from my abdomen but the scabs were still healing and once they were gone I'd be right as rain, physically anyway. "I'm sorry," he said, his breath warm in my hair and I removed my hands from my face before I turned around to look at him, his hands settling just above my hips. He had tears in his eyes as he was looking down at me and I rested my hands on his chest. "I just . . .," he swallowed hard, which made his Adam's apple bob before he sighed and leaned down and pressed his forehead against mine.

"You what, Drew?" I asked.

"I thought that maybe you were better off without me. That if I slowly distanced myself from you and that we went back to just being friends it would best for both of us," he said.

"There never will be any going back, Drew," I said and he lifted his head from mine, which allowed me to slide my hands up to his face.

"I know," he said before he turned his head and kissed the inside of my left wrist.

"Can we move pass this?"

"We're passed it, Liv," he said. "I love you."

"I love you too," I said and for the first time since I woke up in the ICU, Andrew kissed me tenderly and I finally felt whole.


	23. Epilogue

**PLEASE READ: **Thank you all so much for your reviews, adds, and taking the time to read my story. It really means a lot to me and I'm glad you all enjoyed reading 'Look at Me' as much as I enjoyed writing it. I don't have any new stories planned just yet, but if there's a particular idea or character you'd like me to write about PM me and I'll see what I can come up with. I hope you all enjoy the Epilogue, and please let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Epilogue**

_Third Person POV_

Looking back over the last twelve years, Andrew couldn't have asked for a better life. He had followed Olivia's advice and had gone to college right alongside Olivia, both attending the University of Washington. Now, he taught choir and band at Forks High School while Olivia had surprised everyone by becoming a registered nurse and had gotten a job working at Forks Hospital.

No one had thought she would ever go into the medical field, especially since math and science weren't exactly her strong suits in high school, but she did and was one of the best young nurses in the hospital. Andrew and Olivia were married shortly after they graduated college, a little ahead of when they planned, because a little surprise had come along.

"Daddy!" a small voice called and Andrew turned away from checking the roast that had been slowly cooking in the crockpot on the counter since Olivia turned it on. Although he'd done this at least five hundred times before, Olivia had left instructions for him before she left for her shift at the hospital that afternoon and he made sure to follow them as far as dinner was concerned. He put the lid back on the crockpot and smiled as his seven year old daughter, Penelope, came racing into the kitchen of their modest two story house, her long dark ponytail swinging behind her head.

"What's going on?" Andrew asked as she came to a quick stop in front of him and took hold of his much larger hand before tugging.

"You gotta see what Mikey's doing!" she said and Andrew's eyes widened before he scooped his daughter up from the floor and raced into the living room where he had left Penelope and his four year old son alone for a minute so he could check the roast.

Fearing the worst, he let out a relieved sigh when he saw his son running around the living room with a blanket tied around his neck imitating the superhero in the cartoon playing on the television. Penelope giggled and wiggled to get down from her father's arms. Chuckling, Andrew lowered Penelope to the floor and she joined her brother in fighting the invisible bad guys taking refuge in the living room. He crossed his arms over his chest and just watched his children run around for a minute as a lopsided smile made its way across his lips.

Penelope looked so much like Olivia it was a bit frightening and though Michael looked a lot like him he could still see his wife in the way his son smiled. When Olivia had told him she was pregnant with Penelope, he'd been both thrilled and scared out of his mind at the same time. Scared because he had no idea if he was going to be a good and scared because they weren't married yet and Paul and Olivia's brothers were likely to maul him. Thankfully, he had remained in one piece when they shared their news with their families and three weeks later they were married in a small ceremony in the backyard of Olivia's parents' house.

Olivia's pregnancy with Penelope had not been an easy one and for the last four months of it Olivia was on strict bed rest orders. When Penelope was born, he had almost lost both of them because of complications that had arose during the delivery. Thankfully, he hadn't lost either one of them and Penelope had grown up healthy. Other than being a little small for her age, there was nothing wrong with his little princess and he thanked God every day for that.

Michael had been as much of a surprise to the couple as Penelope, especially since they were told that the complications Olivia had suffered through her first pregnancy would likely cause infertility in the future. Thankfully, Olivia's pregnancy with Michael had been normal with little to no complications other than serious morning/all-day sickness for the first five and a half months. He wouldn't trade his life with anyone else, not for all the money in the world, because he truly was happier than he ever thought possible. The phone ringing in the kitchen brought him out of his revere and he uncrossed his arms and smiled at his kids one more time before he went into the kitchen where the cordless phone rested on the counter.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Hey," came Olivia's voice on the other end, bringing the smile back to Andrew's face.

"Hey yourself," he said. "How's work?" he asked and she sighed quietly.

"Surprisingly calm," she said evenly. "A little dull really. How are the kids?"

"They're fine," he said as he sat down on one of the tall stools that were lined up at the island in the kitchen. "They're playing super heroes right now and defeating the dark forces lurking in the living room." Olivia laughed and he grinned at the sound. "Are you on break?"

"Yeah, just thought I'd call to make sure the house was still standing and if Pen finished her homework," she said and Andrew chuckled as he rolled his eyes.

"Yes to both even though Pen complained the whole time because it is Friday," he said and he heard her laugh once more. The talked for a little while, Andrew's attention split between Olivia's voice and the laughter of their kids in the other room; until she sighed heavily.

"Well, I've got to get back to work," she said. "I should be home around midnight, same as always."

"All right, baby," he said, "and don't worry about the kids you know I got everything under control."

"I know," she said. "Love you."

"I love you too," he said and with that they ended their conversation. With another look at the roast cooking and checking the potatoes he had thrown in the oven, he made his way into the living room where Penelope and Michael effectively recruited him to join them in their battle against evil.

* * *

After giving both Penelope and Michael a bath and making sure they brushed their teeth, he tucked them into bed. He had had every intention of waiting up for Olivia so he could actually see her before she crawled into bed that night, but after a long day he had dozed off on the sofa while watching some mindless program on TV. However, he woke up to feather like kisses along the right side of his neck and along his jaw, and as he slowly opened his eyes he grinned when he saw Olivia's face come into view.

"Hi," she said in a whisper and he smiled before he raised his right hand to the side of her face and pulled her lips to his. She let out a surprised squeak against his lips and as he kissed her, he found his wife in his lap after she lost her footing and fell into him with her right arm going around his shoulders. He pulled his lips back and smiled as she looked at him with a slightly dazed expression before she grinned. He kind of liked that even after thirteen years together he could still take her breath away, just like she did his.

"Hi," he said back earning a soft chuckle from the woman in his lap. "What time is it?"

"Quarter after twelve," she said. "Why aren't you in bed?" she asked as the fingers of right hand played in his short hair.

"I wanted to wait up for you," he said with a smile. "It feels like I haven't seen you all week."

"You saw me yesterday," she said.

"For like five minutes," he said before his right hand settled on her thigh and he squeezed it gently.

"Well, I have the entire weekend off," she said as her left came to rest on his chest.

"You do, huh?" he asked and she nodded her head.

"I switched weekend shifts with Candace a while ago because she has her sister's wedding next weekend," she said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked and Olivia smiled.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," she said, "and Mom said she'd have no problem watching Pen and Mikey this weekend." Andrew's eyebrows rose while Olivia's smile grew as her left hand went from his chest to the side of his face. "I'm taking them over there in the morning, so, you and I will have the entire weekend; until Sunday dinner at my parents' anyway; to ourselves."

"I can't remember the last time we had _that_ much time on our own," he said with a grin and she laughed before she kissed him tenderly.

"Maybe we could get an early start tonight, hmm?" she asked in a whisper as her forehead was pressed against his.

"Aren't you tired?" he asked, his hand slowly moving up her thigh to rest on her hip.

"Not really," she said as she kissed him again. He sighed against her lips before he shifted slightly and scooped her up into her arms, making her laugh as she broke the kiss. It was then that he noticed she had turned off the television and only one light was on in the room, and it was the one controlled by the light switch by the stairs. "I take it you're wide awake now?" she asked and he grinned.

"Bright eyed and bushy tailed," he said and she laughed softly again.

"You do have a bushy tail, don't you?" she teased and he rolled his eyes before he kissed her and tightened his hold on her as he started walking towards the stairs.

"Ha ha," he said dryly in a whisper so he wouldn't wake up the kids. "You want to turn off the light?" he asked and she chuckled quietly before she let go of his shoulder and turned off the light. Andrew carried her up the stairs and into their room, pausing long enough for her to turn on the light and turning so she could close the door. Once that was settled he carried her over to their bed and literally tossed her onto the mattress.

She laughed quietly as she settled on the bed and Andrew's body covered hers. With his left hand supporting his weight above her, he reached out with his right hand and pulled the tie from her now shoulder length hair, freeing the dark auburn locks. He ran his fingers through her hair before he leaned down and kissed her. Slowly, they reacquainted themselves with each other.

* * *

"Enjoy your weekend?" Harper asked her daughter when she and Andrew made their way into their house that Sunday evening and Olivia smiled at her mother as Andrew closed the door behind them.

"Very much so," Olivia said and Andrew chuckled before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her exposed neck, making her blush while Harper chuckled. "Were the kids good?" Olivia asked and Harper nodded.

"Braden and Willa came early and Pen is completely in love with her littlest cousin while Mikey is playing with the boys," Harper said and Olivia smiled.

"Where is Willa? I want to see how big Emma's gotten," Olivia said and Harper laughed before she pointed behind her.

"They're in the backyard with your father who's refusing to let Brandon man the grill even though he and Lily brought the meat for today." Olivia laughed before she disappeared through the kitchen and Andrew chuckled as he looked at his mother-in-law.

"Thanks for watching the kids for us this weekend, Harper," he said and the older woman smiled up at him. "It was nice."

"I love having them over, Drew, so, all you two have to do is ask," she said. "Come on, let's join the others." Andrew nodded and the pair made their way outside. It was September, so there was a faint chill in the air, but with a fire burning in the fire pit it was comfortable in the crowded Lahote family backyard. Andrew and Harper parted ways once they were outside, and Andrew joined Olivia, Willa, and Braden who were sitting at one of the picnic tables set up.

Brandon and his wife Lily had brought their boys, Logan and Travis, with them as usual while Willa and Braden brought their son Ryan and their four month old daughter, Emma. Alex was solo to the family dinner, but only because his girlfriend and imprint, Iris, was in Seattle for the weekend visiting her family. Andrew's parents were there along with DJ and Grace and their three kids; Cason, Lola, and Jordan. The only people missing were Lucas, who lived and worked in Boston with a small family of his own; and Sadie, who was in L.A.

Andrew watched Olivia play with Emma who was settled in her lap and smiled as the little girl giggled as she looked up at her aunt. If they were lucky enough to have another baby, Andrew certainly wouldn't mind and he knew Olivia would have no problem with it. She was a complete natural when it came to kids. He looked away from his wife and around the yard once again, just taking everything in. All the kids were playing, the adults chatting, and everyone had smiles on their faces.

Life was good. Of that there was no doubt.

**The End**


End file.
